I was in the woods Monday, softly “pishing.” (Don’t jump to any nasty conclusions; see below.) A common yellowthroat warbler had just flitted into a dense area and I was hoping that I would provoke its curiosity enough so that it would show itself again.
~~ EXPLANATION BREAK FOR NON-BIRDERS: “Pishing” is a way to attract small birds by making soft, repetitive sounds that might provoke their curiosity, such as “pish, pish, pish,” or “siss, siss, siss,” or even “fish, fish, fish.” ~~
As I was saying, I was “pishing” in the woods. All of a sudden, this grumpy black-capped chickadee – the Maine state bird – popped up out of a cluster of spruce needles as if I had just awakened him while he was sleeping on the couch with the TV on. He cursed me as only an angry chickadee can, then disappeared into the dark interior.
Our chickadees are not as flashy as yellowthroats. But the yellowthroats soon will take off and head south where flashiness is common all year. The chickadee was wearing his plain winter outfit already. (Of course, chickadees always wear their plain winter outfits, but that’s another story.) Image taken in Brooklin, Maine, on August 26, 2024.