Birdwatching Just hanging out with the kin: A mountain chickadee is in town

Published 12:00 pm Friday, November 20, 2015

A small flock of chickadees fluttered into the trees. Chick-a-dee, chick-a-dee was their greeting to me, but for one that sounded as though it had a sore throat. Its voice was huskier than the voices of its friends. A beautiful mountain chickadee had dropped in for a visit. Some field guides suggest that it actually sounds as if it is saying “cheese-burger.” Thus, it is nicknamed “the cheeseburger bird.”

It is rare around these parts. Pacific County records indicate five-plus sightings, while the Willapa National Refuge, per se, has never recorded a mountain chickadee. It is strikingly different with its broad white eyebrow — distinct and diagnostic. This chickadee has a solid gray back. It has whitish under parts with gray-buff sides and flanks.

This chickadee prefers dry, coniferous forests. In fact, it is one of the most common birds of the mountainous regions of the Western United States. Its range extends from the southern Yukon to California and the Rocky Mountain states of the USA.

The mountain chickadee feeds on insects when possible, as well as seeds, through out the year. It will readily come to feeders. It is at mine right now. Aren’t I lucky? Check out your feeders. You never know when this special visitor will show up.