By Larry Halverson

Almost everyone can identify the bird that sings a rapid, nasal chickadee-Dee-Dee. It is the call the chickadee uses to challenge intruders or to express alarm and it can be heard anytime during the year. However, in April, which is the beginning of the courtship season, the chickadee adds a less familiar tune to its vocabulary. It sings a sweet two-toned whistle of two or three notes, the first being higher and longer than the last one or two. This “love song” sounds like feee-bee or if you listen around lunch time you might hear cheezzee-burger. The song can be heard from now until the early part of the nesting season. It is a delightful ditty, which means spring is here.

Above image: The Black-capped Chickadee is one of three species of chickadees found in Kootenay National Park. Photo by Larry Halverson

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