Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 10:05:15 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Sherry Peruzzi Subject: Re: Black-capped Chickadee MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit At about 12:30 pm on September 13, birding in a small patch of woods in the Bryant Woods section of Columbia in Howard County, my husband Ken and I heard the song of a Black-capped Chickadee. Startled, we looked around and quickly found it in a nearby tree. We observed it for about 5 minutes while it sang and called; both were the Black-capped's vocalizations (the song the slow, two-noted "feee-beee", the call the much slower "chick-a-dee-dee-dee" rather than the rapid giggling sound of the Carolina). I didn't report it because I didn't think it would be accepted, particularly without corroboration or a photograph or recording. I did speak with two highly experienced birders, who both said it was theoretically possible, but so unlikely -- especially this early -- that there was virtually no chance that a report would be accepted. Having spent time at a friend's farm in West Virginia and a rural area in the Pocono Mountains quite recently, I am quite familiar with the vocalizations of the Black-capped vs. the familiar Carolina of home, and I know that both the song and the call we heard were those of a Black-capped. One of the birders I discussed it with hypothesized that it could be a hybrid. But as I hear reports of huge movements of Black-cappeds to the north, and other extremely early sightings in this area, the possibility that it was a Black-capped seems at least a little less unlikely. Sherry Peruzzi Howard County bookworms@home.com Patty Craig wrote: > Rick, > > When you posted your question about the Black-capped Chickadees I was > having trouble with my email and could not reply. So I apologize for > this late remark. On September 2, 2001 I saw at least 2 chickadees > coming to my feeder that I studied closely and that I believe were > Black-capped Chickadees. That was the same day that a Red-breasted > Nuthatch was also seen at the feeder. I have not noticed during the > last week, but they were here for at least 2 weeks. > > Good Birding, > Patty Craig > Dameron, MD > pattycraig@mail.ameritel.net > > ======================================================================= > To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com > with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey > ======================================================================= ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================