Hey, Sweetie!

Posted on June 4, 2015 | 28 Comments

I was researching the Black-capped Chickadee and discovered on Allaboutbirds.org that its song differs depending on where the bird lives.

“In most of North America, its song is a simple, pure 2 or 3 note whistled fee-bee or hey, sweetie.”

Black capped Chickadee watercolor

Here is a watercolor painting I completed of two Black-capped Chickadees.  Part of the exercise was learning how to paint a stone wall and fence in Val Webb’s online class.  It is my last assignment for this class but I will keep painting and learning about birds!

Did you know that the Black-capped Chickadee is one of the first birds that people learn about?  I’m not sure I have ever seen one in my area.  But now I’m going to be listening for its song of 3 to 4 notes of the same pitch.

Do you know what tune this bird whistles where you live?

Happy Bird Watching!

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28 responses to “Hey, Sweetie!”

  1. Jodi | June 4, 2015 at 3:56 am | Reply

    Great job on the stone wall and fence. I’ll have to listen to my chickadees and get back to you on that tune

    Liked by 1 person

  2. kathydoremus | June 4, 2015 at 5:23 am | Reply

    I’ve got Carolina Chickadees here in Georgia, and it always sounds like they are sweetly saying their name. Chickadeeee…chickadeeee…. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  3. createarteveryday | June 4, 2015 at 5:57 am | Reply

    Wow, Jill, your painting is beautiful! Love the sky, the birds (all those spread feathers?!), the stone, wood, the whole thing! I said wow immediately when I saw this! Really great stuff. We have lots of chickadees in our yard because Hub has put bird boxes out there with really small holes that only they and other really small birds can get into. When I was painting the river birch out back, I was a bit too close to their nest box and they kept yelling at me hehe. They learned to accept me eventually but they’re spunky little things! And so cute. I think I probably have the same kind as Kathy, because ours seem to say their name with their call. Beautiful artwork!!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Jill Kuhn | June 4, 2015 at 9:51 am | Reply

      Thanks Laura! I like how the sky looks. It was hard to paint birds so small. Nice to know you have Chickadees in your yard. It is hard to attract birds to my yard when there is a big black cat waiting in the bushes. LOL! 😊

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Sand Salt Moon | June 4, 2015 at 6:24 am | Reply

    Wow, this is one of the best ~ I adore what you’ve done here, Jill.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Glenmar Fullmer | June 4, 2015 at 6:46 am | Reply

    Good work all around!

    >

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Susan | June 4, 2015 at 8:36 am | Reply

    I don’t see the Chickadee so much where we live now, on Vancouver Island, Canada, but where we used to live in Alberta, Canada, the song it sang sounded like: ‘Chickadee-dee-dee-dee’. Nice painting.

    Liked by 1 person

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  8. Squidtea | June 4, 2015 at 4:54 pm | Reply

    This was my favorite bird when I was about 3-8 years old, but when we moved down south we moved out of its range, leaving me Chickadee-less. I was (and still am) so sad! Although, allaboutbirds.org did say they have been sighted here once in a blue moon, so I still have hope! Yay! I love the picture of them, it was wonderfully done!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Jill Kuhn | June 4, 2015 at 4:59 pm | Reply

      Thank you Squidtea! Isn’t that an amazing website?! I just love it! I’ve been learning all sorts of things about birds! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      • Squidtea | June 4, 2015 at 5:22 pm |

        It is! And their Merlin Photo ID (BETA version) is amazing! Have you tried it? It helps bunches when identifying mystery birds in my photographs. And I recently learned the call of a Northern Parula, which my Dad keeps asking me about. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  9. Jill Kuhn | June 4, 2015 at 6:13 pm | Reply

    I haven’t yet – need to do that! I will have to look up a Northern Parula! I have no idea what that is! LOL! 😊

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  10. cubbyholes | June 5, 2015 at 12:24 am | Reply

    I love chickadees. Totally my favorite bird. Just remember the southern birds and the northern birds do not have the same song. its like they each have different accents. I adore this painting.

    Liked by 1 person

  11. rebecca | June 5, 2015 at 12:39 am | Reply

    wonderful illustration! I love how the bird is approaching…so lifelike!

    Liked by 1 person

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