The Howland Picture Pages: Black-capped Chickadee

Page by Royce
Last update: $Date: 2004/10/23 17:48:58 $ (UTC)

The Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapilla) is a perching bird that seems to pack more moxie, sociability and fun per ounce than just about anything else on the planet. Actually, to call chickadees "perching" birds is a misstatement -- they flit around so much! They like to hang upside down on twigs and pine cones, foraging.

Black-capped Chickadees are very common in the Calgary area (and indeed coast to coast across North America, although not below the middle States), but somehow that doesn't make them seem boring to us. Quite the contrary, they're one of our favorite birds. You just have to like a creature this active and happy, sort of like cute puppies of the avian world. Other Chickadees we get in our area include the Boreal Chickadee and Mountain Chickadee.

Resources where you can find out more:

• Black-capped Chickadee profile at weaselhead.org
• Black-capped Chickadee profile at CLO including sound samples
• Black-capped Chickadee profile at the USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter

(click image for larger photo)	Here is a friendly Black-capped Chickadee who stopped by for a visit while we walked through Carburn Park in southeast Calgary. EXIF 2.2 photo info:   320 x 311 true color Exposure time: 1/355.30 F-stop: 5.9 ISO speed: 100 Focal length: 71.2000 (plus 1.5X teleconverter) Exposure mode: Auto White balance: Auto Exposure bias: 0.0000 Metering mode: Center Weighted Exposure program: Normal Gain control: None Contrast: Normal Saturation: Normal Sharpness: Normal Camera make: NIKON Camera model: E5700 Larger photo info:   640 x 622 true color 219KB
	In most of the park and bird watching areas in Calgary, Black-capped Chickadees are all over the place as you walk around. In Fish Creek Provincial Park (and a few other places), they are so used to human presence that they will come immediately to your hand looking for a snack of sunflower seeds, peanuts, or what have you. As soon as one comes, more are sure to follow within moments. They also tend to draw other birds such as Red- and White-breasted Nuthatches, Brown Creepers and Downy Woodpeckers. This cheeky thing was one we encountered around lunch time (for all of us it seems!) at the Votier's Flats area of Fish Creek, August 4, 2002. EXIF 2.2 photo info:   320 x 388 true color Exposure time: 1/63 F-stop: 4.2 ISO speed: 400 Focal length: 71.2000 (plus 1.5X teleconverter) Exposure mode: Auto White balance: Auto Exposure bias: 0.0000 Metering mode: Pattern Exposure program: Normal Gain control: Low gain up Contrast: Normal Saturation: Normal Sharpness: Normal Camera make: NIKON Camera model: E5700
	This is another Chickadee (or I suppose it could be the same one) also at Fish Creek Votier's Flats, August 11, 2002. I should have dialed back the exposure on this one to avoid the overexposed highlights. EXIF 2.2 photo info:   320 x 542 true color Exposure time: 1/178.10 F-stop: 4.2 ISO speed: 400 Focal length: 71.2000 (plus 1.5X teleconverter) Exposure mode: Auto White balance: Auto Exposure bias: 0.0000 Metering mode: Pattern Exposure program: Normal Gain control: Low gain up Contrast: Normal Saturation: Normal Sharpness: Normal Camera make: NIKON Camera model: E5700
(click image for larger photo)	This is yet another Chickadee also photographed at Fish Creek Votier's Flats, August 11, 2002. EXIF 2.2 photo info:   320 x 455 true color Exposure time: 1/282.60 F-stop: 5.9 ISO speed: 400 Focal length: 71.2000 (plus 1.5X teleconverter) Exposure mode: Auto White balance: Auto Exposure bias: 0.0000 Metering mode: Pattern Exposure program: Normal Gain control: Low gain up Contrast: Normal Saturation: Normal Sharpness: Normal Camera make: NIKON Camera model: E5700 Larger photo info:   640 x 839 true color 282KB

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