 Boreal Mountain There are two Chickadee species so ubiquitous to Cariboo winter feeders that it is easy to become blasé. Those two species are the Black-capped Chickadee and the Mountain Chickadee. Though they do enliven quiet winter landscapes with song and spritely demeanor, it is no stretch to remark that every Black-capped Chickadee looks like every other Black-capped Chickadee, and every Mountain Chickadee looks like every other Mountain Chickadee. These Chickadees just blend in with each other, and that is a fact of life. Two days ago I sat outside and watched the usual parade of Chickadee antics until I was nudged from complacency by the appearance of one particular bird. It happened just as day was growing dusky and edging towards night. The Chickadees were paying their final respects to the various feeders, and I gazed at the general hubbub around the lower suet feeder. As I watched, I idly placed typical Black-capped and Mountain Chickadee templates over individual birds making sure they fit. They all did except one, and that one was gone by the time I stirred from my lethargy. I returned to my cross-eyed comfort zone. The bird came back. Once again it did not fit my mental image of how a Chickadee should look. It was not a Mountain Chickadee, a Black-capped Chickadee, or even a less common Boreal Chickadee. Perhaps it was the dimming light and nothing was really amiss. Maybe the Chickadee was either a Boreal, or a Mountain Chickadee. I was not wearing binoculars but could easily work out details of Chickadees which fit my mental template. Oddly, details on the misfit were obscured as if I was looking at an upside-down picture and couldn’t make out the information I expected to see. I decided to retrieve my binoculars from inside the house, but when I returned the Chickadees had put in their final appearance for the day. The misfit visited at least three times while I watched, so surely it would come back the next day. During the evening hours, I convinced myself that a Boreal Chickadee was indeed coming to the feeder. This was not astounding because I had several Boreals a few winter’s ago, but it would be a nice break from a steady diet of Black-caps and Mountains. I left the house before daylight the next morning and the Chickadees were still abed. But as soon as I came home, I went to the window and watched for the mysterious Chickadee. Surprisingly, it was the first Chickadee I laid eyes on. It was obvious the bird was not a Boreal Chickadee. However, it was no Mountain either! What was it? Was this the same bird that mystified me last evening? It had to be. I carefully looked the bird over. It had the white eyebrow of a Mountain Chickadee, but its flanks were an orange colour, and not a typical grey with a hint of cream. Something about its head said Boreal but I couldn’t put my finger on just what. The odd Chickadee was being quite co-operative. It flew to a feeder on the side of the house that was only a few feet to the left of the window. I saw most of its body and head but instead of taking this time to study it carefully I rummaged around for my digital camera. The Chickadee continued sitting on the feeder tapping seeds while I turned the camera on and set the lens to a closer focus. Finally I managed to take a picture, but forgot to turn off the flash. This of course frightened the Chickadee away. I looked at the picture. I had captured a crisp dark image of a headless and tailless bird torso. I hauled out the books to see if there was any mention of hybridizing between Chickadee species, but found no mention. Then I used the Internet where I did find mention of some hybridizing between Carolina Chickadees and Black-caps, and between Black-caps and Mountain Chickadees. So perhaps this odd Chickadee was a mix of Mountain and Boreal. I e-mailed BC’s bird expert Dick Cannings to see what he thought, then I spent the rest of the day in a futile attempt to get more revealing images of the Chickadee. By the end of the day I had a far-away shot that looked like a boreal Chickadee but didn’t show the white eyebrow feature I was looking for. Mr. Cannings was quick to reply. Perhaps, he emailed, the bird I saw was a Boreal with a white eyebrow, a “sport.” I had never heard the expression so I asked for more information. Mr. Cannings said that a “sport” was a genetic oddity rather than a hybrid. I replied that the bird looked more like a Mountain Chickadee with odd Boreal touches. A clear picture might help, he suggested. It is now day four since I saw the Chickadee and I still haven’t got a clear photo of it despite several hours of intense waiting and watching. When I told someone of the continuing adventure today they asked if this was a rare bird. Rare?! This is more than rare. Without a picture this bird doesn’t even exist! To e-mail Tom CLICK HERE To look at previous column CLICK HERE |
