Ha ha Ken, I wonder why the cartoon was created, although I did enjoy it as a child. I did a little reading Frank, and saw that roadrunners also seem to particularly enjoy lizards. It never occurred to me that birds would eat lizards, but I guess everyone has some sort of predator. I haven't seen any roadrunners in this neighborhood, but there are lots of lizards, so I guess I shouldn't write them off. We have an abundance of egrets and herons, but I'm not sure if they eat lizards.
One thing that amazes me about chickadees is that, while many of the much larger birds migrate to warmer weather in the winter, chickadees hang around all winter. As tiny as they are, I'd think they'd freeze completely and fall to the ground like a stone. Yet, we get these tiny little birds at our feeder throughout the Maine winter, something I have particularly noticed this winter, as we're getting more of them than usual. On another subject, yesterday I watched three pigeons flee from one chickadee. After the chickadee chased the pigeons away, it was joined by about a dozen other chickadees, all of whom fled upon the arrival of a blue jay. It just seems like a strange pecking order, except that I've noticed that pigeons are afraid of pretty much everything and blue jays are not.
I've just been playing the songs, and Bubba is searching the room looking for a chickadee. It seems he wants to get better acquainted.
Wellllll, our chickadees don't sound like that. Their call is a definite chick-a-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee. They like sunflower seeds and pick them up, fly to a bush, prop them between a branch and their toes to crack them. It is fun to watch. But lately I spend more time watching my chickens. People think they are stupid and I tell stories of why they are not. But I worry about the predators that are partial to eating them. I built a chicken tractor but I really like them to run free. Kind of a political statement? Keep them safe or let them run free? Yesterday, I came to put them to bed (feed and close up the barn) when I found one of the flock missing. I thought, That's it! I am not doing chickens ANYMORE if they are going to get picked off AGAIN. After chores I went out to find leavings to see if I could figure out what got mt chicken. Off in the garden I saw a body and started down to check. Usually if it is killed but not eaten, or taken, it is a dog. We don't have any dogs around so I kept going down to check. The body moved! Then it got up and started squawking and running back and forth. It had gotten into the garden but then could not figure out how to get out of the fence again. I am not very fast and kept calling to it but I had to go all the way into the garden and lead the thing back to the barn. (did I say chickens were not stupid?) Anyway, This thing kept talking and squawking all the way back, I guess explaining how the others led her down there and then left when she wasn't looking. She had a no good, very bad day. All's right with the world again and I guess I will buy replacement chicks this summer. They only lay for about three years. I don't eat my chickens.
They are by far my favorite back yard bird. They are cute and smart and funny. The call chick-a-dee-dee-dee... is often a danger call to warn others. "Ornithologists have determined that the number of dees increases in proportion to the threat. A chickadee will deliver perhaps five dees when threatened by a large slow-moving predator bird, but as many as 23 dees when endangered by smaller, quick and agile birds.". LINK I usually get 5. Occasionally 7.