If you have an interesting chickadee tale or experience showing the friendly nature of the Chickadee that you would like to share, please send it to us. If we find it unique or interesting enough, we will include it on the Chickadee Tails page for others to enjoy. Please keep to less than 200 words.

Brenda K. Wallacebowden. from Southern Illinois, sent me this interesting story about hand feeding a chickadee. This story also appears on the Hand Feeding Chickadees Page.
WHAT A THRILL! Yesterday afternoon I walked out the backdoor with my container of bird food and a little gray and white Carolina Chickadee flew right to me. I held up a handful of grain, palm up, and the little lady landed, picked out a seed and flew back to her nest. (She's set up for the season in a little sunflower shaped bird house up the hill.) I was speechless, absolutely humbled by this special visit. Last night I was taking a small pail of fruit up the hill and out she came. Landed on a branch next to my head and looked at the pail. Seemed disappointed it didn't have her seed in it. I put the pail down, walked (although I wanted to run) back to the house, got her seed and returned. She had been waiting. As soon as I approached her she came. Still can't believe it. Looks like I've made a friend."

Don Albright from Newberg, Oregon USA writes:
Today I was watching a pair of chestnut-backed chickadees gather material for a nest when one of them fluttered around my head, and then landed on it. As I stood motionless, it explored the top of my head and rooted around through my hair. Then, after a few seconds, it began tugging on my hair, apparently having decided that it would make fine nesting material. The chickadee kept at it for close to half a minute, but alas, my hair seems to be too securely attached to my head. With a little encouragement from its mate (who seemed slightly alarmed at the first chickadee's choice of friends), it flew off to find some more readily-gathered nesting material. Oh, one final note: I have "red" hair that is very similar in color to the chestnut on the back of this species of chickadee..."

Pat McIntosh of Chicago sent me this one:
"I've tremendously enjoyed watching three little black-capped chickadees feeding at my third floor apartment window in Chicago (next to a large, lovely park). In fact, they have become a responsibility and I've had to employ various tactics to protect their food supply from house sparrows and a very patient but insistent mourning dove. The chickadees get along quite well with a beautiful pair of cardinals at my makeshift feeders - aimed specifically at providing food for the five of them. It's a seemingly never ending project. I'm concerned because I must return to work in a week after several months' absence, and I won't be here to look out for them.
By just watching and feeding the three who regularly visit I've learned some things about them firsthand. They are the most comfortable with humans of all the birds who have visited my third floor window. Twice in late summer one of them perched long enough on one of my fingers to pluck a sunflower seed from the palm of my hand. They will come to the feeder even if I'm leaning out the window or am next to the glass looking out. They always are the first to inspect anything new that I put out. They know if I am at the window they can come safely to eat - and do - because the sparrows fly away at the sight of me."

Michelle from Wisconsin writes:
"This past winter I would head out to the backyard to fill the bird feeders dressed in a black, hooded sweatshirt. The chickadees would start bouncing around in the low tree branches calling to me as soon as I approached. It almost seemed like they thought I was some kind of giant chickadee in that getup. Before filling the feeders (so there would be no alternative food), I would stand with my gloved hand resting on a wooden board, palm up, filled with sunflower chips and black oil seeds. After what seemed like an eternity in the cold wind, a chickadee landed on the board to look over the menu. After jumping back and forth, it eventually landed in my hand, selected a seed and flew off. It repeated the process six more times before I got too cold to stay out any longer. The winter was too frigid to do that very often. Now in May, a pair is building a nest in a converted wren house off our patio and come to sit in the honeysuckle vine on the patio and chat with me. They are the dearest little birds."

Ram Nambiar from Mississauga.ONT posted this to BIRDCHAT: It is being use on this page with his permission.
Hello Birders, I find the familiar Black-capped Chickadee man's friendliest of feathered friends. I have the experience of chickadees sitting in my palm, not near the feeder (I have stopped feeding any birds in my backyard) but in the deep woods away from human habitation. What fascinates me most is their fearlessness of humans. Last spring I was only 4 feet or so away from a rotted stump in the park ravine where they were excavating a nest. To my astonishment neither of the trusting pair showed any uneasiness or disapproval of my presence there by their actions but continued the job at hand. Sometimes during my bird trips I carry few peanuts in my pocket not exactly to feed them but an old habit to satisfy my own taste for that legune. A few months back while walking at High Park in Toronto, I was crushing the pod with my fingers and a chickadee inquisitive of what I had in my hand came at a low branch. I showed the broken peanuts to it. Without any fear or hesitation it came and sat in my palm and after picking up the piece flew back to the branch and started tapping it against the branch. The same chickadee after couple of acrobatic jumps and upside down show came back again and again. Its smooth and gentle landing in our palm will thrill anyone beyond description. Then another charming black, white and gray showed up in a low branch but it was fiercely (towards its own members) chased out as though it owned me. Since its whistle 'dee-dee-dee' was not a two notes 'Fee-bee' I knew that it was a signal of ferocity towards the intruder and not a friendship. Last May in Lambton Woods the one which sat on my hand allowed another chickadee to pick up the broken peanut which made me believe the second one was its mate. It was a clear 'Fee-bee' this time. Most migratory passerines have left Toronto. Almost everything is yellow now except some needle. I see on a naked tree the Baltimore(Northern) Oriole nest hanging high. The bird trips in High Park will soon be more or less uneventful. But the consolation is that these cute and highly energetic chickadees (I read somewhere, their heart beat 455 per minute compared to ours 72) are here to stay. Yesterday morning I heard them singing and their small flocks were easy to notice in some naked branches. They were probing into the bark and sometimes coming down to the dried flowers for seeds and insects. They do a lot of good for the trees in winter by eating the overwintering insect pests, I am told. Their unsuspecting, friendly and most inspiring qualities must have been the reason why two States, -Maine and Massachusetts both chose the Black-capped Chickadee as their Sate Bird."

Pierre Duguay from Robertville N.B. Canada also posted this to BIRDCHAT in reply to the post by Ram.: It too is being use on this page with his permission.
Hello Chatters! I must agree with Ram Nambiar that the Black-Capped Chickadee is absolutely the friendliest bird in North America. Here in my yard these little balls of fluff are always eager to showoff to my friends how friendly they really are. Of all the people that visited my yard not many of them left without having the experience of having one of my little Chickadee's land in their hands for a little treat. They are so brave that when I'm filling my feeders they will still come and land on them even if I got the feeder in my hand. One time when I was cleaning my driveway after a snow storm a Black-Capped Chickadee landed on my head. At almost any time of the day I can open my window and call them and they'll fly over to get a nice treat from the palm of my hand. The Black-Capped Chickadee is not only the state bird of Maine and Massachusetts. Here in Canada its the official bird of the province of New Brunswick and is truly beloved by all New Brunswickers. Other birds that I managed to get to land in my hand for a snack are Purple Finches, Pine Siskins, Boreal Chickadee, Common Redpolls, by-Throated Hummingbirds and Red Breasted Nuthatches. For those of you that are wondering what my secret is for attracting these little bundles of joy my secret is PATIENCE. If you spend time with these birds or any other bird, they will get to know you and trust you. If you are like me and you're in love with the Black-Capped Chickadee check out the Chickadee home page at http://www.chickadee-web.com. At this site you will find many interesting facts, photos and stories of the Black-Capped chickadee.

Charlotte Daughhetee from Alabama found a refreshing way to attract Carolina chickadees. She writes:
It gets pretty hot here in Alabama in the summer and I always have my birdbath filled with fresh water each day, but I discovered last summer that chickadees prefer to be hosed down-let me explain. During a dry hot August afternoon, I set my hose to the misting setting, propped it up in my herb garden and went away. When I came back an hour later, several chickadees were swooping down and flying through the mist. They landed in a dogwood tree and watched me as I picked up the hose. I slowly turned toward the dogwood and pointed the misting hose toward it, and the chickadees (7 of them) moved down onto the lowest branches and played in the mist. From that afternoon on, I had another chore (albeit a fun and pleasant chore), "It's time to go hose down the chickadees". I'll be back out there with the hose this summer during the dog days. My chickadees are eating a mixture I make in the winter like it is going out of style. I mix up equal parts of bacon fat, crunchy peanut butter with corn meal and some flour, then shape it into balls which can be frozen. If it runs out, they sit on my deck rail, watching for me in the kitchen and scold me until I bring out more. Other birds drawn to this mixture are: Carolina wrens (another fun bird), mockingbirds, titmice, nuthatches, downy woodpeckers, and the ubiquitous house finches. Oh yes, and the squirrels have discovered the peanut butter balls (unfortunately)."

Last winter it was really awful here. We had like 6 feet of snow. My father and I are bird enthusiasts and we feed them a lot. We like to go snowshoeing and one day, while snowshoeing, we met some chickadees. We had no seeds with us so we went back to the house and got some. We then went back to see if we could feed these wild chickadees. They seemed to fear us a bit so we put our hands on tree branches, so that they wouldn't have to sit on our hands at first.... well they came and sat on the branch and stole a seed. Eventually we trained them to take seeds from all over the place, on our heads, in our pockets, on my shoulder... and even from between our lips!!! At first the chickadees didn't like that and they started hollering at us but they just think it's normal now. Since I liked the chickadees so much I named them Pete and Jim. Last spring they even brought their mates to visit us. Sarah and Mandy are their names. We still have a couple odd chickadees out back with Pete and Jim. We now have a feeder out in the bush for them, since they don't like our yard feeders. We hope to get some crossbills or others to visit there too. Well I think I've written enough about my pals.
Good Luck With the Chickadees!!"
Leila :)

Note: My first contact with Leila came in an email message from her father with the Subject: Hömötiainen. I've since found out that Hömötiainen is what Finns call a Black-capped Chickadee. Pretty cool!

The picture above is of Pete, click on it to go to her fathers birding site to see a larger photo of Pete.

Ken Wysocki from Blue Island, Illinois writes:
Jack,
Last week a pair of Chickadees returned to my backyard. As I was walking along the sidewalk with a peanut feeder in my hand, one of the little fellows flew right onto the feeder and took a peanut. I have hand-fed Chickadees in the forest before, but never have the birds in my own backyard been so friendly. Plus, the pair is excavating a half-finished Downy Woodpecker hole in a tree next to my window. This displeased the still-present woodpecker. After two brief mid-air battles, the Chickadee emerged victorious, proud owner of a new home.

John S. Shinal posted this interesting story in rec.birds:
I just watched a Carolina Chickadee whomp up on a squirrel raiding the feeder. The same squirrel had shrugged off a complaining Mockingbird and a brief swoop from a Yellow Shafted Flicker. As I sat waiting for a good photo opportunity, the Chickadee swooped in and made a series of dive-bombing attacks on the squirrel. The squirrel teetered about atop the feeder, avoiding the Chickadee. On the third attempt, our hero unseated the dastardly rodent and sent him tumbling to the earth 6 feet below. Not content with that, the Chickadee hustled him off a bit further, then had a quick bite to eat.

Do chickadees cuss?
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I swear I witnessed a chickadee get stung by a bee the other day. It was one of those strange things that happen here in Critter Cove and most times when I am by myself. This little vignette is almost too bizarre but darn it, it really happened. I'm not sure I could make something like this up. First, the chickadees have always shown an abnormal interest in the hummingbird feeder. Last year, I almost walked smack dab into a chickadee that was flying around the hummingbird feeder evidently looking for a place to perch. I even scolded him to stay out of this feeder that was for the graceful hummingbird and not his big bird galoot self. The chickadee scolded me right back as they are wont to do and it's a good thing these birds are hatched with their masks already donned because they are just plain bad birds. So when I heard the loud chickadee squeal from across the porch and adjacent to the hummingbird feeder, I immediately figured something got to the little fellow because he was yelling almighty. Then he flies THROUGH my porch in a weaving flight pattern that could have him arrested for drunken flying. I had to duck out of the way from the porch swing where I sat to keep him from colliding into me! Then he lands on a tree to my left and he's almost at eye level. And he's jumping up and down and carrying on so bad I'm starting to get worried. I had been laughing at the trouble he got himself into but, unreasonably, as he was yelling and jumping so bad, I asked him if he was all right. The chickadee, of course, didn't answer me. I think the rascal got stung by one of the bumblebees that occasionally make their way into the hummingbird feeder. And I was concerned that a bee sting might kill such a little bird. But really, after a while he seemed all right and I could resume smiling. Goodness, he jumped all over that tree and let all of his chickadee cousins all over America that some (insert chickadee curse sounds here) bumblebee done bit him.

Beth Arnold of Peoria Illinois sent me this touching story:

I am a big fan of the chickadee. I have a story and will try to relate it to you below. I also have a picture of a nest full (6) of chickadees that were in my bluebird box a couple of years ago. Five came out on their own and I released the sixth after a couple of hours when the parents were having no luck getting it to come out. I held it in my hand and it flew to a birch next to my home where momma or papa joined him, and as I watched they flew into a huge nearby oak.

I am an avid ornamental perennial gardener. I am in the yard and garden at all possible times tending my plants, filling feeders and cleaning bird baths. I take time to smell the roses, although I don't grow them, to enjoy the birds. Chickadees are one of my favorites. As I stepped out the door one day, I startled a chickadee at the feeder. It promptly flew into a picture window and fell to the ground. He appeared totally dead and I picked him up. I was so upset by this incident I was ready to give up feeding the birds. His small head seemed to flop and therefore I was sure his neck was broken. I marveled at his size, so tiny in the palm of my hand. I walked back into the house to show my husband and while we were talking I stroked his tiny body and thought I felt a bit of movement. With hope, I continued to hold and try to comfort him and stroked that tiny body for about fifteen minutes. Finally his head moved and I was thrilled that he was not dead. I stepped back outside, speaking to him softly and continued to stroke his feathers. Finally he raised his head. He looked toward me and seemed to be sizing up his situation. He then promptly flew back to the feeder. What a thrilling experience it was for me to hold and comfort such a tiny beautiful creature. I marvel at their ability to survive the elements.

John Aben of Allen Park, Michigan writes...
Just today, (Dec. 31, 1998) My Wife and two sons, Andy, 10, and Ben, 8, and I drove to a nearby Metropark, to wander a nature trail we visit this time of year. In the past we have been regularly greeted by a flock of friendly (and hungry) Chickadees, and have had a few eat from my outstretched hand. I had brought a few handfuls of black-oil sunflower seeds, and a few cameras to capture a memento of what we may find. We walked along the trail, which in the 18-degree air was silent, except for the wind, and after about a half mile, I began to despair. Soon, though, my patience was rewarded, as up ahead I could hear the soft twittering of a flock of Black-Capped "Chickies" (as we lovingly refer to them). I began making whistling and squeaking noises with my pursed lips in a crude attempt to imitate their calls, and soon saw little winged shapes flitting from branch to branch, toward us. I grabbed a handful of seeds, and held them in my outstretched ungloved hand, and in a few minutes' time had the whole flock of at least 60 birds taking turns feeding from me! Andy took some seeds, and soon had the same experience, and a ear- to-ear smile! "They seem weightless, Dad!", he exclaimed. A few friends had followed the Chickadee flock, and we were surrounded by Tufted Titmouse, Cardinals, Dark-eyed Juncos,White-Breasted Nuthatch, and also Downy and Red- Bellied Woodpeckers (which, thankfully, didn't eat from our hands.. ouch!). The Chickadee flock continued to feed in an unbroken string from my hand, sometimes two birds at a time, and we were really enjoying it! I even had a "Tuftie" at one point, just long enough to snap his (her?) picture..quite a feat with one hand full of seed, and the other with a manual SLR camera! My youngest got brave and gave it a try, and as a Chickadee flutttered up to his hand to land, Ben 'freaked out' and tossed the seed into the air!
After about a half hour, we were getting VERY cold, and decided to call it quits, so I spread the rest of the seed on the trail, and we bid our new friends goodbye, but many of them continued to flutter near my head and call to me. I held out my hand, with forefinger outstretched as a 'perch', and softly said to the Chickadees, "do you want to say goodbye?" One by one, a few of them landed on my finger, at which I would say "thank you for the nice visit", and 'kiss' at them, and they'd fly back to the branches. Three of them 'bid farewell' in this way!! As we left, I looked back, and saw our newfound friends enjoying the seeds I'd left on the trail.
Although we were feeling VERY cold, our hearts were warmed immeasurably by our friends, the Goodwill Ambassadors Of The Woodlands - the Chickadees! See John with one of his chickadee friends.

Joanna sent me this one.
The very first winter we had Chickadees arrive at our feeders was something very special for both my husband and myself. We had 12 of them coming from just after sunrise to just before sunset. The weather that year was quite warm for late fall and our small dogs spent a lot of time sitting around on the deck. The Chickadees were constantly "nagging" at them, almost as if they perceived them to be competitors for the food. The dogs on the other hand were totally baffled by it as they had no interest in any of the birds. That January we were helping some neighbors about a block away and making daily trips there. Every single time we started our walk to their home, the whole group of Chickadees would follow along flying from tree to tree along the route, stopping and waiting for us to catch up with them. Then when we were on our way home, there they would be ready to follow us back. It was almost as if they had to keep us under surveillance so they would know where to go to get the sunflower seeds and peanuts that we put in the feeders every day.