Songbird

Black-capped chickadee

Poecile atricapillus

A tiny, bold resident of woodland edges, hedgerows and backyards across Whatcom and Skagit counties, often the first bird to answer a quiet wait at the forest edge.

Seasonality

Peaks in January. Present all year; easiest to find in fall and winter, when mixed flocks move through the bare woods.

Behavior

Travels in small, chattering flocks in fall and winter, often with kinglets, nuthatches and woodpeckers.
Hangs upside down to pick insects and seeds from twigs, cones and alder catkins.
Caches seeds in bark and moss to eat later in winter.

Photography tips

Chickadees rarely sit still; use a fast shutter and burst through the moment one lands.
Pick a mossy branch or catkin near where the flock is feeding and wait for a bird to land on it, rather than chasing them through the brush.

Field ethics

Don't use playback or pishing to pull birds in, especially in spring nesting season.

Where to look

Lummi Flats & Red River RoadWhatcom County · Peaks in January
Tennant LakeWhatcom County · Peaks in January
Whatcom Falls ParkWhatcom County · Peaks in January
Stimpson Family Nature ReserveWhatcom County · Peaks in January
South Fork Valley at SaxonWhatcom County · Peaks in January
Barrell Springs WetlandsSkagit County · Peaks in January