Chickadee question

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hikingmaineac

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I saw a group of chickadees today @ the junction of the Stony Brook trail w/the AT, and was surprised to see normally white feathers replaced by rusty looking feathers.

I attached a really really poor photo of one of them.

I know that some birds change colors for the winter and back again in the spring/summer - but wasn't aware that the chickadee was one of them.

Any aspiring or legitimate ornithologists out there care to enlighten me?

Thanks in advance!
 
Most of the chickadees we're used to seeing at the bird feeders are Black Capped Chickadees. The ones you see high in the mountains are a close relative, and I think this one's called a Boreal Chickadee. They have a slightly fainter call, but still rather friendly.

BorealChickadee.jpg


One winter a rather enterprising Boreal quickly learned where hikers would stop on the Tuckerman Winter trail to don crampons, have a snack, etc, just before the steeps, and it would nearly eat out of your hand.
 
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