On May 12, our SFO group at Arnot saw a brown creeper do the same pose but
vertically on a trunk, remaining fully camouflaged when doing so. I wish I
had my camera then. Anyhow, I assumed it was sunning itself, a reasonable
assumption on that cool day (40s-50s). The fact that your gnatcatcher did
My late colleague Jack Christian documented barn and tree swallows taking the
low spread-wing posture, exposing their wings fully, on metal barn roofs on hot
summer days. I also saw a few instances. One possibility is that direct heat
helps drive out feather parasites and exposure to UV and
