Mountain Chickadee

On Monday 31st December, I took part in the 2007 Christmas Bird Count in the Sheep River/Turner Valley area, south of Calgary. The weather was an absolutely perfect winter's day! We saw quite a few of these little Mountain Chickadees, which is always a treat. They are uncommon year round in Alberta. This kind of Chickadee has a white eyebrow through the black cap, unlike the Black-capped Chickadee. It has a white cheek, black bib, grey upperparts and tail, and light grey underparts. It breeds at higher elevations and is found more commonly in the mountains, as the name suggests. Usually, though, they move down to the montane forests for the winter months. They are often found together with a group of Black-capped and Boreal Chickadees.