Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Poecile Rufescens

Day 218: For years, I was jealous of photographers who captured images of chickadees sitting on peoples' hands, perching on a camera lens, taking seeds daintily from someone's fingers. For that matter, I was jealous of people who could get close to chickadees anywhere, let alone make personal contact. I had chickadees galore in the shrubbery opposite my home, on the other side of the road, but none ever seemed to venture into my yard. I planted bushes and trees to provide better habitat for them, and my efforts were finally rewarded a few years ago when the first Chestnut-backed Chickadees showed up, two of them, and as it turned out, they were a pair. My yard population grew. Then one day, I spotted a Black-capped Chickadee in the contorted filbert. I was overjoyed. After a close approach by one of the Chessies, I decided to hold Chickadee Training to see if I could get one to accept seed from my hand. It happened quicker than I had any right to expect, and soon I had them arguing over who got to sit in my palm, who had to remain on my wrist, and who got to go down inside the canful of seeds under my arm to eat in leisure. But being a scientist, I couldn't help but notice one important thing: the birds who were most comfortable with me were almost all Chessies. The Black-capped 'dees would fly in as if they were going to land on my outstretched hand, but almost invariably decided to retreat to the safety of the filbert. Some would occasionally perch on the feeder beside me, but on the rare times one of them would perch on my palm, the contact lasted only a few seconds. On the flip side, the Chessies would let me walk around while carrying them, and sometimes I'd have to hoist one out of the can if I wanted to go back inside. This raises a question I will probably never be able to answer: Why is one species shy and the other friendly? What pressures could have resulted in such different behaviours in two very similar birds?

Red-breasted Nuthatch, Sitta Canadensis

Day 217: Nut (Red-breasted Nuthatch, Sitta canadensis) surprised me by being one of the earliest birds to show up on Global Big Day. He's usually rather shy and only puts in brief appearances, but in this case, he hung around (quite literally) on the suet feeder for minutes at a time. However, he was inclined to present the typical view of the species more often than not (kindly refer to the lower image), and was not being at all obliging with a portrait pose. During the day, he returned repeatedly, even when I was sitting out in the yard, so eventually I was able to capture an image which portrayed his field markings.

These delightful little creatures are cavity-nesters, and have the peculiar habit of collecting globs of conifer resin to smear around the periphery of their entryway. They have been observed to use bits of tree bark to spread the "spackle," but the purpose of this is unclear. Some think it is to deter larger predatory birds. Others suggest that it serves to prevent insects from entering the nest. Like Chickadees (for which they are sometimes mistaken), they may carry a particularly tough seed to a branch where they can insert it in a crack to be held while the bird pecks it open.

As a footnote to Nut's obliging personal appearance on Big Day, who should show up three days late to the party? The Northern Flicker was at the suet feeder yesterday.

Nut

Day 83: Something of an oddity at my house, Nut always surprises me when he shows up, and even moreso when he does it in winter. I've been seeing Red-breasted Nuthatches more often since the Chickadees began coming to the feeders a few years ago, but never more than two or three at a time. This acrobatic visitor seems to be a solo, and he much prefers suet to seed, although he'll accept the latter in a pinch. He doesn't mind sharing with the Juncos or the 'Dee-dees, but his tolerance for Siskins is rather low. It must be mentioned here that for their size, Siskins can be quite intimidating when they stand up to larger birds. Even the Varied Thrush gives them a wide berth, not wanting to be pecked with those needle-sharp little beaks. Red-breasted Nuthatches (Sitta canadensis) are known to associate with Chickadees and sometimes loot their nests for feathers with which to pad their own constructions. They also are known to hang out with Kinglets, as do Chickadee species.

Siskin Days

Day 192: While Pine Siskins (Carduelis pinus) don't ordinarily like to share their territory with Chickadees, the last few days have seen them here concurrently. Although they don't sit elbow-to-elbow, they seem to be willing to have a "my side, your side" agreement in effect for the seed feeders, but space at the suet is another matter. Everybody wants a piece of the action, except perhaps the Porch Parrots and hummers. Jays, Towhees, assorted sparrows and finches all contend for the prime seat, and if you've never seen a Pine Siskin brazen down a Steller's Jay, you've missed a real show of territoriality. I don't usually feed suet year-'round, reserving it for a high-calorie treat in the cold winter months, but the 'dee-dees have been demanding it of late, to the point that if I fail to fill the basket, they literally knock on the window until they get my attention. I may have created a monster by feeding them out of my hand. One poor soul tried repeatedly to force his way through the glass last night when he saw me standing inside. If I'm at the computer, they come around to the front window where I can't help but notice their antics. The other birds are picking up on the Chickadees' confidence. I have at least two Grosbeaks who won't move off the feeder until I'm within a foot of them, and one "raspberry" Finch has come close to landing on my hand on several occasions. A friend refers to me as the "Bird Whisperer." Nah, I'm just one of the flock.

Chessie

Day 106: They say you should be careful what you wish for. I have absolutely no regrets with respect to wishing that chickadees would discover my feeders. Today, the contorted filbert's twisted branches are populated with a dozen or more in a single flavour: Chestnut-Backed. Yesterday, an equivalent swarm of Black-Capped dominated the census. Some days, the two species dine together. What governs the 'Dee-dee demographic? I'd love to know. As yet, I've had no Kinglets, neither Ruby-Crowned or Golden-Crowned, but that brings another question to my mind: does each kinglet species pair with a type of chickadee, for example Golden-Crowned with Chestnut-Backed? I haven't paid attention to their associations when I've observed them in the forests. I'm embarrassed to admit that I've been too preoccupied with trying to catch one in a photographic "trap" to make any scientific observations. Perhaps now that I'm swamped with resident chickadees, I'll be more keen in studying the behaviour of their wild counterparts.