The black-capped chickadee won the vote, but not by a majority. So maybe it was inevitable that the decision was at least somewhat controversial.
What are those unusual birds flocking with Michigan’s chickadees right now?
If you’d like to see some new-to-you birds in Michigan this fall, listen for the sound of one of our most common birds: The Black-capped Chickadee.
The chickadee’s namesake “chickadee-dee-dee” call is one of the most familiar birdsongs in every season, but this time of year it can alert keen-eared birdwatchers to the presence of migrating songbirds that might not normally be in the area.
Migratory birds like warblers will often seek out the company of chickadees while on their journeys south for the winter. For these feathered travelers, chickadees are a bit like helpful guides: They know their areas well, but unlike other local birds, they aren’t territorial, says Juliet Berger, president of Washtenaw Audubon Society and an ornithologist with Ann Arbor’s Natural Area Preservation division.
When passing through new spots, the migratory birds happily take advantage of the local chickadees’ know-how, tagging along for insider tips on food and safety as the chickadees cheerfully go about their days.
“The small birds that are chickadee sized, like warblers, they flock with the chickadees because they’re friendly,” Berger says. “They know where the food is, and they know their way around the area.”
Chickadees are also great at alerting other birds to potential danger by increasing the dee notes in their chickadee-dee-dee call to signal alarm, Berger says. In this way chickadees can help warn an entire area about the presence of a predator, like a hawk.
With their neighborly behavior known among other songbirds, chickadees will attract all kinds of species during fall migration season. It doesn’t matter if you’re in the wilderness or your own backyard, Berger says: If you hear a chickadee in the fall, there’s a chance that the bird might have some interesting company.
Birds often seen accompanying chickadees this time of year include warbler species like Blackburnian Warblers, Cape May Warblers, Tennessee Warblers, Bay-breasted Warblers, Black-and-White Warblers, and American Redstarts. Flycatchers, tanagers and vireos will sometimes join in, too.
These birds don’t migrate in species-specific flocks, like blackbirds or Blue Jays do; instead they’ll travel in mixed flocks, so if you find one, you might see many different types of birds.
If you’d like to try to glimpse these travelers, you might need to break out the binoculars: Following the chickadees, these birds may be high or low, in tall trees or shorter shrubs, in dense forests or in parks. Oak trees are a great place to look because they host many species of caterpillars, which the birds love to eat.
Since some migratory birds molt out of their tell-tale spring plumage during fall migration, it can be helpful to use a guidebook or an app like The Warbler Guide to get familiar with each species’ fall looks. Even better, if you’d like the chance to see some friendly chickadees and their visitors, consider attending a seasonal bird walk through a local nature center or Audubon chapter: “You can learn from books and apps, but nothing beats field experience,” Berger says.
Find a local Michigan Audubon chapter at michiganaudubon.org.
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A look back in history shows a number of significant events happened in the world in 1983: handheld mobile phones were introduced, the space shuttle Challenger had its first flight, and Brian Mulroney became leader of the Progressive Conservative Party in Canada.
It was also the year the black-capped chickadee was declared the official bird of New Brunswick. The announcement was made by then-premier Richard Hatfield on Aug. 13, 1983.
And it only happened as the result of a poll taken in a local newspaper.
The idea
The search for New Brunswick’s provincial bird began in 1981, when the New Brunswick Federation of Naturalists, now called Nature N.B., held a mail-in poll for people to vote on which bird should receive the honour.
The poll was publicized in several provincial newspapers, as well as in schools across the province.
While provincial birds are well established now, that wasn’t the case in 1981 as can be seen in advertisements taken out by federation in provincial newspapers.
“In the United States official birds represent the most popular or typical bird of each state,” said the federation in an ad posted in the June 4, 1981, edition of the Moncton Times.
“In Canada, Alberta and P.E.I. have chosen provincial birds and Nova Scotia is in the process of doing so.”
The candidates
Instead of having people write in to name whatever bird they wanted, New Brunswickers were given four to choose from.
The feathered candidates were decided based on a survey done by the federation in 1980.
The federation announced the winner of the poll in the 1981 June-December edition of their newsletter, the N.B. Naturalist:
- black-capped chickadee, 990 out of 2,238 votes, or 44 per cent.
- grey jay came, 484 votes.
- American robin, 480 votes.
- white-throated sparrow, 284 votes.
The black-capped chickadee was the most popular choice in all areas of the province except Albert County, where the white sparrow won, Victoria County, where the grey jay won, and Restigouche and Gloucester counties, where the American robin won.
