Most every morning lately I’ve come upon one or more Mountain Chickadees. Just in the past month or so I’ve come to know this engaging species pretty dang well.
Their behavior is a bit more flighty than the “regular” Black-capped Chickadee—they don’t stick around as long, move swiftly through the greenery in groups of two or three or six. Unless they find a good spot, that is, when they’ll stop and show their talent at acrobatics.
And what a voice: close to identical to the black-cap’s—other than the dee-dee-dee part, which is harsh and husky. (Also, their little single notes seem a bit thinner and sweeter.)
I wouldn’t mind running into these guys every morning all year (although a good day is having both species on my list, as today).
Grandeur Peak Area List
Beginning at 8:25 a.m., I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Black-billed Magpie*
2. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay
3. Northern Flicker
4. Black-capped Chickadee**
5. House Finch**
6. Yellow-rumped Warbler
7. Spotted Towhee
8. Dark-eyed Junco
9. Lesser Goldfinch*
10. American Robin**
11. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
12. Downy Woodpecker
13. Hummingbird (sp)
14. Mountain Chickadee
15. Pine Siskin
Elsewhere
16. European Starling
(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
