I’ve posted about chickadees before, but they rate as a favourite and they win the prize today….first bird sighting of the New Year! Of course, that was easy to predict. They are so curious and energetic, bound to be the first up for breakfast. We have a flock of 6-8 as regulars just now. They do brighten up the winter days!
A few ‘did you know?’ facts:
* the Black-capped Chickadee is one of 7 North American species
* they frequent mainland BC but not the offshore islands….the reason is still under investigation
* that black cap is pulled down to just cover their eyes…which makes the eye hard for us to see
* at the feeder, they use a ‘grab and dash’ technique…which is a challenge to photograph!
* they are able to remember 1000s of seed hiding places
* their alert call, chickadee-dee-dee…adds more dees for a greater threat
* they attract other birds to their flocks that benefit from those alarm calls
* they can live at least 10 years
* roosts may be tree holes that accommodate only one chickadee for the night
* a lower body temperature at night saves energy, especially in winter
Their perky nature, and their appetite for insects makes them easy to welcome to the garden. So glad they stay with us all year.
Gillian Richardson...naturally 