Today I saw a mountain chickadee in my backyard! It was high up in the jacaranda tree singing. The photo below is of one I saw a couple years ago. Mountain chickadees are most commonly found in forests in the mountains of the western United States and Canada. However, they can sometimes be found in other places as well, such as my backyard. I do not live very near the mountains, but I've seen the chickadees a few times in my yard before. They are the only chickadee in my area. They, like other chickadees, eat seeds and bugs, can hang upside-down, and sing the 'chickadee dee dee' song.
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| Mountain Chickadee |
Advice
When approaching a bird, especially a shyer one, walk very slowly and try to make very little noise unless it's a 'pst' or similar noise. however, if you are close to the bird, don't make loud 'pst' noises. Make the noises very soft, or don't make any. Never go directly toward it. Make a curve or go some indirect way when you walk. Also, never take your eyes off the bird, because if it starts to hop away, stop. Unless it keeps going and doesn't look like it will stop, wait before you go closer. If it is looking at you, don't move closer. Wait until it's looking away or not too focused on you. Nothing seems to work with some birds, however. Hermit thrushes, for instance, are gone as soon as they see me.
This morning, something odd happened. I've never seen black phoebes fighting before, and often they're very cautious, but this morning, there were two crazy ones! They were fighting in the air, and nearly hit me in the head! They were so close I felt the wind of their wings. Before, that had only happened with hummingbirds. It was very strange!
Speaking of hummingbirds, here is an Allen's hummingbird with its head in a flower. I saw it right after I saw the phoebes. I can tell it's an Allen's because of the rufous sides near its tail.
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| Allen's Hummingbird |
I have found another bird that likes cat food: the hermit thrush! It wasn't there for very long, but it was at the cat food bowl, and then hopped around in the middle of the yard for a little while. However, as soon as it saw my cat (which hadn't even see the bird), the thrush was gone (which is a good thing; birds should be cautious). Here it is below.
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| Hermit Thrush |
Another little bird I saw today was a Bewick's wren. It came out of nowhere when I made a 'pst-pst' noise, because they make 'pst' noises themselves. The photo below was taken a week or two ago, but it is probably the same one I saw today. There seem to be two wrens that live in my yard, because I've only ever seen two together, and they're always in the same places. Last year they tried to make a nest in my birdhouse, but gave up. Bewick's wrens are common in brushy areas along the west coast and the southwest and middle of the United States and Mexico. Like most wrens, they are small and brown and often have their tails pricked up. They often make harsh noises, but can also be very musical. They often sound similar to song and white-crowned sparrows. The one below was hopping up a tree eating the aphids under leaves.
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| Bewick's Wren |
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