Thank you for the kind words! Your comment about your weekly brain changes cracked me up. Given how rarely I can find my phone, my brain apparently has no plasticity whatsoever!
I love that you have chickadees cheering up a sad little girl in one of your books! Your story will be very true to life! I can certainly attest to the mood-enhancing powers of these enchanting birds.
I loved it! I never tire of watching my local group buzzing in and out of the feeder, taking their seeds and pecking them open (little black heads bobbing industriously), and zooming in and out of my bird bath. Definitely a favorite bird and one that always brings a huge smile!
You started my morning with a huge smile, not only for your endearing story (I'd venture many of us can relate!!!), but for the word painting of this most cheerful little sprite. I most often have mountain chickadees at my feeder, though sometimes black-capped. Every New Year's morning, I eagerly anticipate which bird will be my first of the year (I avoid looking anywhere I might end up with a starling, house sparrow, or rock dove🫢), and many years, it is one of my loyal chickadees at the feeder. What an unending treat!
Thank you! Chickadees really are an unending treat, aren't they?! I've had a Mountain Chickadee at my feeder lately, too, though they are much less common for me.
I love a silent winter forest that suddenly comes alive with a mixed feeding flock. It's worth stopping in the cold long enough to greet each of the flock members as they move through.
Yes! I love when a quiet winter forest comes alive with a mixed-species flock, too! I first learned about these roving bands of foraging birds in the tropics, so it was a happy realization to discover that they are common in our northern woods as well.
One of my most favorite birds and one I never tire of watching either! Such insane cuteness but oh so so feisty and curious and brave! The fact that they can survive the northern winters is always astonishing to me! I loved your banding story 🤣 and don’t blame you one bit!!
“feathered puffs of sprightly good cheer” “feisty mite’s over-the-top cuteness” Your way with words is as charming as a chickadee!
And totally wild about their seasonal brain changes…though I think mine must morph on a Sunday to Friday to timeline 😉.
Thank you for the kind words! Your comment about your weekly brain changes cracked me up. Given how rarely I can find my phone, my brain apparently has no plasticity whatsoever!
This is great, Sophie! One of my kids’ books-in-progress has a scene where chickadees are visited to cheer up a sad little girl.
I love that you have chickadees cheering up a sad little girl in one of your books! Your story will be very true to life! I can certainly attest to the mood-enhancing powers of these enchanting birds.
Your writing is a joy.
Thank you for the hugely appreciated boost!
I loved it! I never tire of watching my local group buzzing in and out of the feeder, taking their seeds and pecking them open (little black heads bobbing industriously), and zooming in and out of my bird bath. Definitely a favorite bird and one that always brings a huge smile!
They're definitely a smile-inducing highlight around our homes and in the woods!
You capture the cuteness so beautifully! Thank you for another enchanting moment with your Words for Birds!
Thank YOU for the kind words and for sharing Words for Birds with me!
You started my morning with a huge smile, not only for your endearing story (I'd venture many of us can relate!!!), but for the word painting of this most cheerful little sprite. I most often have mountain chickadees at my feeder, though sometimes black-capped. Every New Year's morning, I eagerly anticipate which bird will be my first of the year (I avoid looking anywhere I might end up with a starling, house sparrow, or rock dove🫢), and many years, it is one of my loyal chickadees at the feeder. What an unending treat!
Thank you! Chickadees really are an unending treat, aren't they?! I've had a Mountain Chickadee at my feeder lately, too, though they are much less common for me.
P.S. I love your first-bird-of-the-year strategy!
Yes! In 7th grade we had to memorize bird calls. The chickadee was the only one I remembered after the test.
I wish I'd gone to your school! I didn't even realize that you could differentiate birds by their calls until well after college.
I love a silent winter forest that suddenly comes alive with a mixed feeding flock. It's worth stopping in the cold long enough to greet each of the flock members as they move through.
Yes! I love when a quiet winter forest comes alive with a mixed-species flock, too! I first learned about these roving bands of foraging birds in the tropics, so it was a happy realization to discover that they are common in our northern woods as well.
One of my most favorite birds and one I never tire of watching either! Such insane cuteness but oh so so feisty and curious and brave! The fact that they can survive the northern winters is always astonishing to me! I loved your banding story 🤣 and don’t blame you one bit!!
The chickadee's ability to survive the northern winters is yet another incredible adaptation that makes this "ordinary" bird so extraordinary!