Subject: [obol] BC Chickadee song dialects?
Date: Feb 5 14:37:15 2004
From: Kraig,Eric - kraige at oclc.org



> 2. Does anyone know the geographic extent of this song dialect? Is it
a west-side /
> east-side thing divided by the Cascades, or more complex? What do
chickadee songs sound
> like where YOU live?

More complex, maybe. Where we live, near Olympia in the south Puget Sound
area, most if not all of the chickadees that I've heard have the
multi-syllable song - usually four or five. One hundred mile north (as the
chickadee flies) on Samish Island in Skagit County, I've heard both songs,
with the standard "feee-beee" predominating. I've also heard the
two-syllable song in Whatcom County and on Orcas Island. I've heard the
multi-syllable song in Seattle, Tacoma, and along Hood Canal. Never east of
the mountains - I've only heard "feee-beee" over there. Very interesting,
really - I don't know if their are other black-cap song dialects across
their wide range - is the Puget Sound population special?

Eric Kraig
Olympia, WA
mailto:kraige at oclc.org