Ihave frequently written about chickadees. For many reasons, I’m drawn to these special species. Docile, happy-go-lucky, gregarious, attractive and vocal, what’s not to like about chickadees?

Moreover, these bundles of energy are here in the Northland year-round, which, in my book, makes them especially endearing.

I’ve observed four of the seven species of chickadees that occur in North America: the black-capped, boreal, mountain and Carolina chickadees. The first two I’ve encountered here in Minnesota, while the latter two species I’ve only observed in the Colorado Rockies and in northwest Arkansas, respectively.

The remaining three species of chickadees are the Mexican and chestnut-backed chickadees and the Siberian tit. Yet it’s the mountain chickadee that’s the subject of this week’

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