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Location: Palomar Mountain, Palomar, CA
Date: 2006-07-15
Lens: Canon 300mm IS F4 + 1.4x II Converter
Date: 2006-07-15
Lens: Canon 300mm IS F4 + 1.4x II Converter
Mountain Chickadee
Poecile gambeli
DescriptionThese cute little birds are only rarely seen at lower altitudes. They are avid insect eaters, but will feed on seeds in lesser quantities. They are constantly moving about the mountain forests, often in small flocks, in search of food. This chickadee can be distinguished from the Black-capped Chickadee by its white eyebrow.
Small bird with black crown, eyestripe, and throat. White face and supercilium (eyebrows). Gray upperparts, gray-white underparts. Pale gray flanks. Short, black bill. Sexes similar. 4.25 to 5 inches in length.
High-altitude coniferous forests.
Nesting7-9 white, sometimes spotted eggs with a 14 day incubation period. Fledging occurs 21 days after hatching. The nest is a hair or fur lined cavity, woodpecker hole, or may excavate a hole in the soft, rotton wood of a dead tree.
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