I have had the pleasure of hand-feeding these birds close to my feeders as well as farther into the woods on my property. With their friendly nature, they can make a habit of investigating humans and everything else about their territory. They will often take a black sunflower seed, one at a time, and fly away to stuff them into the crevice of tree bark, or eat elsewhere, only to start the whole cycle again. I believe the chickadees fancy having their photographs taken during these sessions and almost seem to enjoy posing for the camera.īlack-capped chickadees are also a welcomed sight at my bird feeders. They arrive one by one, watching them displaying their acrobatic flying skills, while they seem to bounce easily from one branch to the next. I pick an area to sit and watch these birds and within a short amount of time, sometimes even minutes, I will hear them and anticipate their arrival. While out in the field, I patiently wait for their arrival. I believe they look especially majestic juxtaposed in scenes with snow, but I enjoy spending time with them overall, regardless of what time of year it is. Due to the curious and cheerful nature of this bird, it isn’t very difficult to capture beautiful photographs. I am currently shooting with a Canon Rebel T6i and a Canon 55-250mm lens. If I don’t have anywhere, in particular, to be or something to do, I will completely lose track of time and remain outdoors most of the day. These calls are often given by the males.ĭuring the colder months, while observing these birds and their behavior, I will bundle up, gather all of my camera gear, and set out for a couple of hours or even longer. When chickadees hear this, they will freeze in position until they hear the “all is clear” chickadee-dee call. If threatened by a predator, these birds will make a high-pitched and high-intensity alarm call. Their contact call is a sharp chik or tsik, often leading into the chick-a-dee call. The males will begin singing in mid-January and the song will increase in frequency as winter progresses. Their song is a clear two or three-note whistle, fee-bee or hey, sweetie. The voice of the black-capped chickadee is a clear chick-a-dee-dee-dee or dee-dee-dee. It is also said they have some of the same characteristics similar to that of human language. It has been observed that flocks have several highly complex calls with specific meanings. Small flocks of these birds liven up the woods as they fly from tree to tree, vocalizing their active and cheery sounds. These individuals may in fact have a different rank within each flock they choose to spend their time with. Some chickadees are considered “winter floaters” and don’t belong to a particular flock. Within flocks, there have been noted dominance hierarchies. I will spend several hours getting to learn about their behavior and the hierarchies they form. One of my favorite times of the year for observing these birds is during the winter. I believe these two aspects of my education have prepared me for my photography skills and blogging pertaining to birds today. Both of these majors required a great deal of observation and intensive writing. I also studied several types of art and art history. While in college, I majored in biology with a concentration in animal behavior and ornithology. I spend several hours throughout the seasons observing their behavior and capturing them in their natural habitat. I especially enjoy photographing black-capped chickadees. I am thoroughly interested in other types of photography, such as landscape, still-life, architecture, and food, but I always find myself drawn back to photographing the avian world. I have also really honed in on my skills as a photographer. Since moving to the beautiful state of Maine, I have been fortunate enough to explore the natural world further than I have ever done before. These birds are curious by nature and it is as though this call by the first chickadee is saying, “Hey guys, look what I found,” and before you know it, you are soon to be in the presence of several of these charming and delightful birds. Usually, after one shows up, several others will soon follow. It isn’t very difficult to realize when you hear the distinctive chickadee-dee-dee of the black-capped chickadee Poecile atricapillus, you will soon have the opportunity to catch a glimpse of one of these engaging birds. Would you like to follow GlaszArt on social media?
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