Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, November 6, 1994 TAG: 9411290008
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 11 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: PATRICIA HELD
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Audubon described the chickadee as a "hardy, smart, restless, industrious and frugal bird that welcomes visitors to its woods with confidence and cheerfulness.''
These birds are are so friendly that with just a bit of coaxing they will land and feed right from your hand. Although alert and quick to retreat from enemies, chickadees don't seem to be afraid of humans.
Some say that one can tell what a chickadee is doing just by listening to its calls. Depending on the season and situation, chickadees have different calls, but the chick-a-dee-dee-dee call is the one most of us recognize. It is heard most often in the winter, especially when the birds are feeding in flocks.
From mid-March, a "fee-bee" song announces that it is spring, and the birds' breeding season has arrived. This is the time that the male chickadee becomes intolerant of other members of the winter flock, and there are territorial skirmishes. However, nothing more violent occurs than boisterous calling back and forth.
After pairing off, birds select a partially rotted tree or nest box for their nest site. Once the hole is excavated the birds line the nest with soft feathers. Six eggs are laid and hatched in each of two broods every season.
During spring and summer the chickadees appear singly or in pairs. But when the cold weather begins they flock together and become common sights at our feeders. They often are the first to try out a new feeder, as well. At the feeder chickadees will choose each seed carefully as they hang upside-down and perform a variety of gymnastics tricks. Then they retreat to a nearby limb. They will repeat this process throughout the day, and with care to avoid any confrontations with blue jays.
Chickadees seem to conform easily to both rural and suburban lifestyles. As long as the area has a few deciduous trees nearby, a chickadee will gladly establish itself as a resident.
The chickadees' tendency to flock in the wintertime makes them appear more numerous at that time. These conspicuous flocks are often joined by other species as the group moves about the woods and gardens. Downy woodpeckers, tufted titmice, kinglets, brown creepers and nuthatches travel with chickadees as they feed on dormant insect life and at backyard feeders.
It is easy to distinguish the chickadees from the rest of the flock. They are small birds with distinctive light and dark markings. Just look for their black caps and bibs and white cheeks.
However, there are two types of chickadees in Virginia. The black-capped chickadee and the Carolina chickadee are common at our winter feeders.
They are so similar in appearance that Audubon did not realize there was a difference more than a century after the first chickadees were discovered. The two species have similar requirements and do not coexist during breeding season. The black-capped chickadee breeds in more northern regions and the Carolina chickadee is a more Southern bird.
Experts tell us that the difference between these two birds is clear. The black-capped is 4 1/2 inches long and the Carolina is 4 1/4 inches. Field guides explain that the Carolina lacks the white tail feathers and the black-capped has whiter cheeks and is much tamer. The Carolina's call also is an octave higher and a bit faster than that of its counterpart.
Patricia Held will respond to readers' questions on the plant and animal wildlife in the region. Mail inquiries to: Patricia Held, P.O. Box 65, Goode, Va. 24556.
Patricia Held is a Bedford County free-lance writer and author specializing in natural history.
by CNB