Tag Archives: chickadee

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Carolina Chickadees at Harris Lake Park, New Hill N.C.

While birding at Harris Lake Park earlier this week, I found a family of Carolina Chickadees foraging in the woods.
It was great to stand there for a few minutes watching their antics as they chattered and tweeted at one another while hopping from branch to branch.


Now that we’re getting into the heart of summertime, families of Chickadees are busy teaching the young ones how to find food.
As summer gives way to autumn, flocks of Carolina Chickadees will begin to form. Yearlings may join their parents’ group, or they may join nearby flocks.
When winter draws close, the young Chickadees and their parents will focus on building energy reserves, hiding seeds for later (caching), and fitting in with the flock as they go out as a group in search of a meal.
Today though, there’s plenty for the little ones to eat and time for learning how to survive on their own.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the fabulous full frame SLR, the @canonusa
#5Ds

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Out There with the Expert, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

A Chickadee spreads his wings

While on a short hike a few days ago I found a tiny Black capped Chickadee hopping around in the brush. I stopped to watch him as he quickly made his way through the tangle of briars, stopping every few seconds to snap up an unseen insect.
Then he flew up and out of the shadows onto a brightly sunlit branch and he spread his wings wide like an umbrella. He peered down below his feet onto the forest floor cocking his head from side to side. This went on for a few minutes before he dove to the ground to capture a beetle. In a split second he was back up into the dark thicket moving on to find more prey.

This interesting (and entertaining!) behavior is called sunning and the reason for sunning is to maintain feather health. Sunning can dislodge feather parasites because the excess heat will encourage insects to move to other places in a bird’s plumage. This will give the Chickadee easier access to get rid of those parasites when preening. It is essential to get rid of these parasites since the tiny insects that infect feathers can cause problems for the Chickadees flight abilities, insulation, and appearance, all of which can impact its survival.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the fabulous full frame SLR, the @canonusa
#5Ds
#yourshotphotographer

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

A fledgling Chickadee at Bass Lake Park in Holly Springs N.C.

Made another trip out to Bass Lake Park this morning and was delighted to find a family of Chickadees playing in the leaves above my head.
This is one of the youngsters who was almost completely tame. He flew right up close to me and didn’t mind one bit having his photo taken 🙂

The Chickadee is a year round resident of North Carolina. They are found throughout the state from the mountains to the coast foraging for meals in the woods and in our own backyards.
These energetic little dynamos are fond of seeds and insects alike, and will happy dine on whatever they can find in our feeders.
They’ll often travel in mixed flocks of Titmice, Nuthatches and Downy Woodpeckers and will act like scouts to check out a new feeding area ahead of the rest of the birds.
Once they’ve made the decision that the area is clear from predators they’ll call out to the rest of the flock to move in.
Tiny but brave!

Photo by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc
Canon 5Ds

Field Notes, Out There with the Expert

A backyard favorite: the Carolina Chickadee

Carolina Chickadees are my constant companion in the woods.
Chirping their familiar calls, they always seem to make an appearance along every trail I’ve hiked here in North Carolina.
Often traveling with a Titmouse entourage, these energetic little birds have adapted well to a human’s presence and are commonly found dining at feeders in suburban backyards and parks.

Carolina Chickadees feed on insects, fruits, berries, seeds, and nuts.  During the summer, their diet consists mostly of insects, while in the winter they switch to eating mostly berries and seeds.
These small birds forage by moving quickly in and out of the foliage of trees, making quick flights as they search for insects and other food items.  They’ll even try to capture insects in mid-air, by hovering as they glean insects from the mid to upper canopy.

The Carolina Chickadee is a year round resident of North Carolina U.S.
They are similar looking to their northern cousin, the Black-capped Chickadee. The main visual difference in the species is that the Carolina species lacks white coloring in their wings and tends to have a shorter tail.
Another clue is the region in where your seeing them. The Carolina Chickadee may be found throughout most of the southeastern United States, while the Black-capped Chickadee is found further north.

Photo by @sally_siko
Canon 5Ds

Field Notes, Out There with the Expert, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Unexpected visitors to a hummingbird feeder

A Carolina Chickadee at a Hummingbird feeder

Been getting some interesting visitors to my hummingbird feeder here in North Carolina lately.
Did you know that birds visit hummingbird feeders for more reasons than an interest in nectar as a food source?

A nectar feeder will catch the attention of other birds, and they may perch on the feeder or investigate feeding ports out of curiosity.
Insects that sip on the nectar may also attract insectivorous birds that pluck morsels off the feeder, even though the birds aren’t directly interested in the nectar.


Scroll down through the next two photos to see the other unexpected birds to show up at my sugar water buffet 😉

A Tufted Titmouse at a Hummingbird feeder

Photo by @sally_siko

A chipping Sparrow at a Hummingbird feeder

Photo by @sally_siko

Field Notes, Instagram Birding, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Mixed flocking behavior has it’s advantages

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Spied this Tufted Titmouse hiding in the leaves of an enormous Oak tree while camping in Lexington, North Carolina this past weekend. Titmice are usually accompanied by Carolina Chickadees and I thought it was odd that I didn’t see one nearby until a few minutes later I spotted three Chickadee‘s chattering with one another higher up the same tree. 🌿 Mixed flocking behavior has its advantages! Having 20 pairs of eyes to watch out for danger certainly allows individuals the luxury of relaxing a bit to concentrate on feeding vs. worrying about predators. Many songbirds give alarm calls when they see a hawk and it’s been shown that other unrelated species know exactly what those alarm calls mean. I’ve noticed that Nuthatches and Woodpeckers seem less likely to venture out into the open to a bird feeder if they didn’t have Chickadees & Titmice “leading” them, which makes me think that protection from predication may be a very important factor to consider when choosing the crew that these birds hang out with. 🌿 What species of birds traveling in mixed flocks have you observed? Mine are Tufted Titmouse , Carolina Chickadee‘s, Downy Woodpeckers, Nuthatches, Juncos and Cardinals. This behavior is especially noticeable in the winter 🙂 3D Photo by @sally_siko Canon 5DS 200 mm . . . . #birdnerd #birdsofinsta #birdsofinstagram #ncwildlife #birding #birdwatching #Birdbehavior #bird #birds #ncbirding #ncbirds #ncbirdwatching #canon #canon5ds #tuftedtitmouse #birdsin3D #3dphoto #hiking #nchiking #ncoutdoors #ncnature #silvercordeventphotography #silvercordphotodaily #ncwildlifephotographer #naturemagazine #birdwatchingnc #audubon #outdoorphotomag

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