Black-capped Chickadee

I keep running into black-capped chickadees in the same spots every year, and every year I think I’ve worked them out. I haven’t.

In my experience, sex differences show up more reliably in the field than any field guide suggests; the plates always look cleaner than the bird.

My images for this species are all made with available light. I don’t use fill flash in the field.

I’ve had good looks during fall migration on ridges and less consistent luck at coastal stopovers.

Some of my worst photographs are of this species. I keep trying anyway.