©Julie Larsen
May 12, 2025
Feathery Flattop
- as seen by -
Julie Larsen
Chickadees are cute. While not a scientific term, it is an accurate one.
Small and energetic, black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) are a familiar sight year-round in wooded areas and backyards. I spotted this one at Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park in Maine.
The chickadee emerged from a small hole in a snag where it likely had a secret stash of seeds. I watched for a while and was amused to see that the little bird’s flitting in and out of its sylvan storage space had changed its crown to a feathery flattop.
Easy to identify with its black, white, and gray plumage and buff-colored side floof, the chickadee’s sound is just as recognizable. It’s chickadee-dee-dee call can communicate clues of intrusion, recognition, and potential problems. According to Cornell’s All About Birds, the higher the threat level, the more dee notes are added at the end.
Nikon D with Nikkor 200-500mm lens
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