Boy, did I ever get a cussing out last week. I was sitting on the patio in my back yard when a tiny chickadee put together a long string of four letter chirps, telling me in no uncertain terms that I was sitting too close to his favorite feeder and would I please move away a little. I did and the scolding ceased as Mr. Chickadee picked out a coice sunflower seed, flew to a nearby limb and deftly removed the sunflower heart from the outer shell. How a bird does that with no hands, I’ll never know.
I do know that chickadees are at the top of my list of backyard birds. They are friendly, they are cheerful and regular vistors at my feeders throughout the year.
Of all backyard birds, chickadees are without a doubt the most sociable. They can be trained, actually, to come to an extended hand, perch on your wrist and feed. A few years ago, my wife Nancy gave me a starnge looking nest-like contraption on an extended pole. I couldn’t begin to guess what it was. It was a chickadee feeder. The instructions said if you held the pole overhead and a chickadee saw the seeds within the nest, he would fly down and eat. Then, gradually, you could train the tiny bird to eat directly from your hand. I lacked the patience to try, but wish I had.
The chickadees in our area are Carolina Chickadees. They range throughout Virginia and are always among the first birds to come to a new feeder. Chickadees have one or two broods per year. They nest in small cavities, similar to bluebird nests, and lay between 5 and 7 eggs. If the first brood is successful, they generallly won’t nest again.
Chickadees like insects, seeds and fruit and particularly enjoy a suet feeder. Chickadees are also home bodies, they hang around throughout the year. They are always welcome in my backyard.