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March 04, 1962 - Hand-Feeding The ChickadeeHand-Feeding The Chickadee Exclusive Sunday Sketch by Dennis Puleston of Brookhaven Focus on Nature It is generally believed that the birds of 'this continent are made up of two original groups; those that came up from South America and those that came across from the old country many millions of years ago via Siberia to Alaska. It was during this time that it is believed the two continents were connected and the climate of, the region more temperate than it is today. From the Old World group we find the Titmouse Family, of which the black - capped chickadee is probably the most w i d e l y known. As a matter of fact, this cheerful little ball of feathers has drawn such attention that it is the state bird of both ,Maine and Massachusetts. Whenever we . here on L o n g Island think of those states, we automatically think of a cold and snowy climate which is exactly What the chickadee seems to en- joy. No doubt this is not really true but because of his continual chatter and seemingly m e r r y busyness we cannot help but think of him enjoying the weather. Many times these birds travel in groups in which often may be found woodpeckers, kinglets and nuthatches. Through t h e trees they'll work over and under sometimes right side up, some- times upside down, but always on the move. There is no bird in our woods that can match the acrobatics with the exception per- haps of only the nuthatch. Winter Diet And what is he looking for dur- ing these cold and wintry days on the bleak and what appears to be lifeless bark of trees? We are' told that 70 per cent of his diet is made up of larvae, chrysolids, eggs, etc of insect ori- gin, and that the remainder of the diet is made up of seeds Or vegetable matter. No part of the tree misses his close scrutiny and we often see him hanging under a limb gleefully digging away. It is interesting to note that the chickadee does not migrate as other birds do each year, but stays with us year round. This does not mean that the same bird you see at your feeder is the same bird year in and year out. Although this could well be, it is more likely one of the many bands of birds that continually move about in our area. As stated earlier the chickadee is one of our most well known birds to all, and even my nieces from the city know him as he Visits our feeder in the winter where a plentiful supply of suet and sun flower seeds are always available. To those who enjoy working closely with birds, a t r a i n i n g program is well worth w h i I e. With a little patience you can coax the chickadees in a short time to eat out of your hand for they are the friendliest of all our birds. Hand - Feeding What a joy for our children whenever they go over to my Dad's house for there they' can feed the birds, and if Roger can control his excitement, they will perform as good as any trained bird act. How the children's eyes light up and how they almost seem to burst with excitement when a chickadee lights on their hands, picks up a seed, cocks his head up at them and flits away to hide the precious "seed for later days. People not accustomed to see- ing birds up close are amazed when walking in the vicinity of the house to have a bird light on their hat or outstretched hand. I remember on one occasion when a nearby German couple, who paid little attention to bird life suddenly became excited and rushed over breathlessly telling us about the little black and white bird that, lit on their arms while Working in the garden. As we all know the chickadee's name comes from his call but some do not know that he bas two or three other calls equally pleasing. To me the fee -bee call it utters is the one I enjoy most. I even think it is a clearer and purer call than the actual call of the phoebe. Imitating Calls The chickadee and fee -bee calls, when imitated, work wonders in calling the chickadee to you. This many a deer hunter can vouch for. As you know, these hunters sit for long hours motionless on a stand and when doing this often observe. the chickadee p as sing through the trees above. By call- ing or whistling they can often bring them within arm's length, and, in doing so, will be well rewarded. Spring Nesting When spring again arrives you will find the chickadees leaving our feeders for their n e s t i n g sights. Usually these are old soft trees or stumps in which a cavity is whittled out and not at all like the harder trees that the wood- pecker would pick. The reason is obvious, they do not have the hard chipping ability of the latter. Often a mere crack or crevice will suf- fice for a nest. I recall one nesting sight in an old telephone pole that I could not see how the bird managed to make a home out of it as it was nothing but a large crack in the side of the pole. No doubt inside there must have bzeen same sort of cavity to house the nest. This is usually made up of an outer shell of dried grasses and an inner shell of animal hair. In the Cutchogue v i c i n i t y all the nests I have checked included the hair of the rabbit. As Nature has provided, when the young are born, insects are also emerging and plentiful and so anything that flies, creeps or crawls is considered fair game for the good of the young chicka- dee. This busy little mite can be encouraged to nest about o u r homes by placing boxes at con- venient heights and locations. Small boxes about 4 or 5 inches square with a 1 1/8 inch hole have worked extremely well for me, provided I did not place them more than 4 to 6 feet off the ground. With the nesting sites we pro- vide and a continuous supply of food at our feeders, I am sure there will be endless families of chickadees in our woods. They will always be there ridding the woodland of its undersirable in- sects, rewarding us and cheering us through the cold and wintry days and providing c h i l d r e n with the excitement that is born from first hand experience with these friendly little mites.