Notes from JUne 2011 Spring Class

Chickadees

Black-capped Chickadee:  CBS, PF partial, more extensive in the south, common year round, resident, rare in the San Juans.  Riparian in E WA, low elevations but can be up to medium elevation, local in Col. Basin.  Deciduous to mixed.

Chestnut-backed Chickadee: up to Canadian zone, higher in some areas.  Common resident W WA.  No song, only a call, up to 4000’ E slope cascades, losing habitat and moving higher slightly.    Mostly conifer and mixed.

Mountain Chickadee: To high elevations.  Common in dry conifer forest of E WA, also at higher elevation 3000-timberline on W slope of Cascades, irreg. winter wanderer.  Likely to be split in the future into two species, one Gambel’s chickadee of the Rocky Mountains, and Bailey’s chickadee in our area.

Boreal Chickadee:  high elevation, usually wetter forest, more Douglas Fir with deciduous around lakes.  FR 39, above Salmon Meadows, Togo mountain is good.  Brownish cap, brownish-reddish sides, small white area on the face.

Nuthatches:  CAS.

Red-breasted nuthatch:   Molt their neck, chin and feathers because of the pitch on the conifers, so more extensive PA molt than the other nuthatches.

White-breasted nuthatch:  2 types.  Call is more nasal.  Slower yank-yank-yank.  Some rufus on the vent.

Pygmy Nuthatch:  Fairly common in dry open forest of E WA.  Local in Blues.  Series of Peeps as call.

Brown Creeper:  resident E and W WA.  CBS.  Old world species.  PF usually limited,  eccentric wing molt has been noted in PF.  Tail feater in PB is like woodpeckers, outer first and R1 last since like WP they use the tail as a prop.  Forests state wide, usually conifer more mature trees, some mixed forest, medium to high elevation, local nester at low elevation, more in wintertime with flocks of other birds.  Song high pitched, contact call a single noted see like GC kinglet which tends to be 3 or more see noted.