Banditry of Chickadees

Mystical Winged Messengers

By Jan S. Wilson

Usui Reiki Master Teacher

Reiki Grand Master Teacher
World Metaphysical Association
Getting To Know Your Chickadees
Often described by bird lovers as friendly, cheery, a
ray of sunshine, Chickadees are the darlings of the
backyard bird feeding world. These petite black,
white and gray birds flit from place to place and
bring smiles to all bird lovers when they alight on a
feeder. Chickadees are bold birds and are easy to
attract to feeders. They are fairly inquisitive and have a broader diet than
most birds. Their favorite food is oil sunflower seeds. They will readily eat
striped sunflower seeds, peanuts and suet also. Their needle-like bill helps
them subdue insects and allows them to switch food sources including seed,
fruit, and bug larvae. Chickadees tend to feed one at a time because there is
a hierarchy that allows the most dominant bird to feed first. They tend to
take one seed from the feeder at a time, sometimes choosing the heaviest seed
and they fly away to eat it and return for more.

Chickadees are very vocal. They call to their mate to announce their find of
food or a warning. It is thought that the calling out forms cohesion for the
group, allowing the other birds to find food more efficiently. Chickadees
generally do not migrate unless there is a food shortage in their area. They
are good at finding food and they have particularly strong legs that let them
hang upside down while searching for food.

They live in tree-covered areas woodlots and orchards. They dig nest-holes in
the soft or rotting wood of trees and can usually find the food they prefer.
Their habits for survival are amazing:

During the summertime they wedge seeds, insects, and other food into
tree bark and crevices within a half-mile range of where they live.
In the winter when a bird feeder runs out of sunflower seeds, Chickadees
are able to find the seeds they caught months earlier.
They feed in such large quantities that they are easily one of the most
important pest exterminators of the forest or orchard. They eat insect
eggs, larvae and pupae (insects in the hibernation stage), weevils, lice,
sawflies, and spiders.
In fall and winter they live in flocks of eight to twelve birds.
They keep in touch with each other through what is known as soft notes
sit-sit uttered at intervals.
In the Northern part of North America they roost in dense evergreen
groves staying sheltered from the wind and snow.
 Each bird finds an available hole to rest for the night and some roost in
the top branches of the evergreens or in the bushy young spruces lower
down.

Surviving the cold winters bigger is better for the Chickadee as they only
weigh as much as a handful of flower petals. Starting in fall they start to
physically adjust to the colder climates by shivering or repeatedly flexing
their chest muscles to generate heat. This causes some of their feathers to
rise and create an inch thick coat around them used for holding in the heat
that the shivering has created. They can withstand 0 degree temperatures.

Chickadees don't have an internal bag for storing food like many other types
of birds that survive in arctic climates. Instead they eat small meals, digest
them, and then eat again. They only feed in daylight, and in winter their
opportunity to eat is not as available with the lack of sunlight. The amount
of fat they add everyday represents approximately 10 percent of their body
weight, which is then burnt off during the night.
Meet the Banditry

Black-capped Chickadee

The Black-capped
Chickadee is a small
songbird. A bird almost
universally considered
cute thanks to its
oversized round head, tiny
body, and curiosity about
everything, including
humans. Adults have a
black cap and bib with
white sides to the face.
Their under parts are
white with rusty brown on the flanks; their back is grey. They have a short
dark bill, short wings and a long tail.

Some of their more distinctive qualities include:

Hoping along tree branches searching for food, sometimes hanging

upside down or hovering.
They make short flights to catch insects in the air. Insects form a large
part of their diet, especially in summer. Seeds and berries become
important in winter.
They sometimes hammer seeds on a tree or shrub to open them; they will
store seeds for later use.
They fly across open areas and roads one at a time and they seem to
bounce as they fly.
They are found as far north as Newfoundland, Canada and as far west as
British Columbia.
Boreal Chickadee
A brown-capped Chickadee of the
northern boreal forest, this Chickadee
is one of the few birds living in
Canada, Alaska and bits of the United
States. They are short-billed, small
with a brownish cap and black bib,
white cheeks and brown back with
rufous flanks.

They nest in a hole in a tree usually a

natural cavity or an old woodpecker
nest. Nesting in pairs the Boreal Chickadees will remains together year
round. They may even stay together for life.

Like most Chickadees the Boreal hides food regularly. They forage on conifer
branches and they probe the tree bark for insects and larvae. Such storage is
probably vital for winter survival. The only seeds they are known to eat were
from spruce trees. Most of the stashed food was insect larvae.

Their call is a husky tsik-a-dee-dee, a variant on the call which gives

Chickadees their name.
Carolina Chickadee
Carolina Chickadees visit feeders for
sunflower seed, peanut chips, and suet.
Make sure if you feed them peanuts that
they stay dry so no mold can form on them.

They nest in tubes or nesting boxes and they

dont seem to care one way or another if the
nesting is of sawdust or wood shavings.

Carolina Chickadees have a black cap and

bib separated by stark white cheeks. This
tiny approachable bird has a short neck and
large head, giving it a spherical body shape.
Their tail is long and narrow and is gray and
it has a thicker bill than most.

These guys are inquisitive and acrobatic and normally space themselves
fairly widely while eating. Carolina Chickadees are cavity nesters, which
means they will use nest boxes if they are provided. They are year-round
residents and will form large flocks in the winter with other small birds like
titmice and nuthatches.

It is said that Painter John James Audubon gave them their name while he
was in South Carolina.
Chestnut-backed Chickadee

This cute little Chickadee lives from southern Alaska to southwestern

California on the Pacific West of North America. Dark brown large-head
white cheeks, rufous-brown mantle, small-billed, with a rather long, narrow
dark gray tail and short, rounded wings, these Chickadees forage high in
trees and spend quite a bit of time upside down in search of food. Active,
acrobatic, sociable, and noisy as any Chickadee, youll find these birds at the
heart of foraging flocks moving through tall conifers with titmice, nuthatches,
and sometimes other Chickadee species. Though theyre at home in dark, wet
woods, theyve also readily taken to suburbs and ornamental shrubs of cities
like San Francisco.

Set up bird feeders in your backyard with black oil sunflower seed, suet or
other mixed seeds. If Chestnut-backed Chickadees inhabit your area, setting
up nest boxes might entice them to nest on your property.
Mountain Chickadee

The Mountain Chickadee is a small

songbird which ranges in the mountains of western North America. Mountain
Chickadees have dark caps with distinctive contrasting white eyebrows.

Mountain Chickadees eat insects as well as seeds from conifers or other

plants. After the breeding season they often form flocks which stay together
while feeding. They love black oil and striped sunflower seeds and sunflower
hearts.

The Mountain Chickadee is similar in appearance to the Black-capped

Chickadee, but the black cap is broken up by a white stripe over the eye.
Mountain Chickadees nest in cavities created by other birds such as
woodpeckers and nuthatches, and they also build nests in bird houses. In the
cavity, the female makes a cup from fur, which can be several inches deep
depending on the size of the cavity. The Mountain Chickadee tends to be
found in evergreens on high slopes.
The Language of the Chickadee

Like most birds, Chickadees communicate both vocally and visually.

Chickadees are known to have vocabularies that include highly complex
sounds. It is said that scientists have categorized nearly two dozen sounds
that they believe are ways that Chickadees communicate, both between
individuals and also within small flocks.

fee-bee

The sound you are most likely to recognize while out in your yard.
Chickadees use the fee-bee call most during spring, generally starting in late
December. Males most likely make the majority of fee-bee calls, typically
from a perch and at some distance from other birds. They also use fee-bee
when leading a flock or advertising territory and repelling possible rivals.

An Introduction to Chickadee Songs and Calls

Chick-a-dee-dee: Male and female Chickadees use this call to announce a

good food source, help reunite separated flock-mates, or signal all clear
when danger has passed.

The variable See: This high, thin note may be given by one or both birds
before or during mating.

Broken Dees: Nesting females give this call to tell their mates to bring food.

Begging Dee: This call sounds like feed me! feed me me! It is given by
young Chickadees when they encounter adults after leaving the nest.

Tseet: This soft, high note is given continuously by undisturbed Chickadees

to communicate with one another. The call stops suddenly when the
Chickadee is disturbed.

Chdle-ee, chdle-ee: Typically given during disputes over territory or other

aggressive situations, this call is one example of the Chickadees gargle
vocalization. Individual Chickadees may have fifteen or more different
gargles.
Mystical Energy of the Chickadee

The Chickadee:

Connotes clarity and purity of soul.

Cheerful and truthful expression
Symbolic of higher thinking capabilities
Higher mind and higher perceptions.
Implies a better understanding of self and the world
Fearlessness in expressing oneself
Happy with yourself
Faithful and truthful to others around you
Associated with mystery and the feminine and can help uncover the
mysteries of the mind
His zealous song signals good weather is in the forecast
If you happen to see this acrobatic little bird hanging upside down,
expect good news to follow shortly
They are fearless and cheerful birds and love being with people
They teach that truth can be shared in a way that adds joy to everyones
life
With the Chickadees help they can teach you to express truth in a way
that heals balances and opens perceptions
If the Chickadee is showing up then you need to pay attention to what is
going on around you
Chickadee warns that there is likely deception in the mist
Chickadee may be telling you that you need to be more honest yourself.
This may also be revealing a tendency within your self to deceive others.
Open yourself up to the freedom that comes in truth and honest
expression

A Chickadee totem:

Have you ever been to a party and a charismatic character is speaking in the
center of the room and everyone is listening intently and that person seems
to know a little something about everything but they do not seem to be
arrogant? This is probably someone with a Chickadee totem.

A Chickadee totem will be very ordered and energetic. He or she will

be someone who acquires knowledge in diverse topics and is quite at
ease speaking to crowds.
Their constant curiosity compels them to speak to a variety of
individuals and experience a variety of circumstances.
 People love them for it as they seem to be interested in everyone they
meet
They are the masters of small talk.
The Chickadee is a more ordered life of the party not the party animal.
They can talk of whatever the topic is at hand quite fluently. They may
not be dancing on the tables, but all will be interested by their knowledge
and natural charisma.

A Chickadee totem will often see the truth in matters and their counsel
will be sought after to resolve disputes or just to offer advice. They seem
to offer advice in such a way as not to ruffle feathers too much. In fact, it
is difficult to dislike a Chickadee totem even if they are siding against
you.
If someone finds themselves at odds with a Chickadee, watch out. They
will dart in and back, disarming you (metaphorically) and making a fool
of you in front of all you know. Chickadee prefer to do things in the open
where all can see. allows you to understand higher truths
The Chickadee totem perceives more clearly in the dark
always tell the truth even if it hurts
Chickadees usually travel in groups and are very social birds and this is
also reflective of their totem people
A Chickadee totem is one that can bring unity to a group of people.
They are natural leaders.
A Chickadee will tend to have many friends but few close friends.
In love, a Chickadee will often be very faithful to its partner to the
exclusion of others
A Chickadee will prefer a relationship where each partner has specific
roles and tasks.
Jealousy is one of the only drawbacks that the Chickadee totem brings.
Sometimes a friend of a Chickadee will think that their friendship is a
close one, sort of like best friends. But the truth is that the Chickadee
does not form close friendships all that easily so when the friend finds
out that the Chickadee does not think about the friendship the same as
them, it can cause jealousy.
For a career, a Chickadees charisma and sense of truth and justice make
them excellent lawyers and judges.
Their power of unity makes them great mediators and negotiators.
They also make very good politicians and leaders. Unlike the politicians
that are so abundant in our system, Chickadees are natural leaders and
are very incorruptible. They would make the kind of politicians that we
all wish for.
Myth of the Chickadee

Native Americans thought highly of the Chickadee and they were mentioned
in some of their myths. There are some interesting commonalties in these
myths.

It is always a bird of truth.

The number 7 is prominent in the myths. Seven is a number
associated with Apollo and truth so perhaps there is a connection to
order deities with the Chickadee.

The Micmac and Iroquois Indians tell the story of how the Chickadee is
related to the Big Dipper (Ursa Major). The myth says that the bear was
pursued by 7 hunters (stars) one of which was the Chickadee. The Chickadee
in this myth carries a pot in which to cook the bear. The robin in this myth
gets sprayed with blood and that is how it ends up with a red breast. This
myth is said to occur in the spring when the sun returns.

**This might be another tie with order deities. The bear resurrects every year
in a type of wheel of the year myth as well as the seven birds being unified by
the Chickadee showing a reoccurring unity theme.

Another tale is told in which the Chickadee shot seven arrows into the sky to
build a bridge to the upper world. All of the animals climbed this bridge and
after a series of adventures fell back to earth. The important thing is that it
was the Chickadees boldness and talent that allowed this accomplishment
and they did it where the other animals failed.

**Perhaps a weak tie in but the archery ties into the sun gods.

The Cherokee tell a story of the Chickadee as a teller of truths. An evil witch
named Spear Finger was terrorizing a tribe. She would stab a persons liver
out and/or turn them to stone. No one was successful at defeating her since
she was made mostly of stone herself. One day the Chickadee landed on
Spear Finger and showed the people the truth about a spot which made her
vulnerable. They attacked Spear Finger in this location and defeated her.

**The tale is perhaps reminiscent of both Medusa and Achilles.

Chickadee Tidbits

A group of Chickadees can be called a Banditry of Chickadees.

This collective noun probably refers to the mask-like appearance of
Chickadee species.
Most Chickadees are non-migratory, so youll often see them at your
feeder in winter. This is notable because they are said to need up to
10 times more food in the winter than in summer.
The Grey-headed Chickadee is also known as the Siberian Tit.
Strangely, it does not have a grey head.
These small birds can live a relatively long life. The oldest banded
Black-capped Chickadee in the wild lived 12 years and 5 month
while the oldest banded Carolina Chickadee in the wild lived 10
years and 11 months.
These little birds are known as Chickadees because of their
alarm call. This type of name is onomatopoetic the word is the
sound that it describes. The more dee notes at the end of a
Chickadee call indicate increasing levels of agitation. For instance,
a Chickadee may end their call with just one dee when a known
person fills a favorite bird feeder. An owl roosting near the feeding
station would warrant many more dee notes
Chickadees are known to store food items like seeds or insect larvae
in times of abundance. The cached food may be retrieved in leaner
times.
Chickadees are cavity nesters. They use old woodpecker holes or
excavate their own cavities in rotted or soft wood. They will also use
birdhouses.
Chestnut-backed Chickadees like to line their nests with animal
hair, with fur from animals like coyotes, skunk, rabbits, and others
making up to half of the nests materials
Chickadees are found across much of North America. The more
common species include the Black-capped, Carolina and Mountain
Chickadees.
Mountain Chickadees are mainly foliage gleaners, searching for
spiders and larvae at the tips of branches.
The Boreal commonly chooses cache sites on the underside of
branches, perhaps because snow covers upper surfaces. They are
rarely seen at feeders except in Alaska and Canada.
In early summer, Mountain Chickadees are able to find and use
seeds they hid during the previous autumn.
Chestnut-backed and Black-capped Chickadees keep an eye on the
food-finding success of other individuals, if one bird is doing
especially well; they adapt their behavior, whereas unproductive
tactics are not copied.
 The Black-capped generally sings out a fee-bee call while the
Carolina sings fee-bee fee-bay; however, this song is learned and,
in overlapping territories, may be learned from the wrong bird.
Chickadees wing beats are about 27 times per second. This
compares to a hummingbirds 80 beats per second.
Chickadees weigh less than one-half of an ounce.
ATTUNEMENT:
There are no pre-requisites for this attunement. The attunement is based on
intent and may be sent as intent or chi ball. Always ask your higher sources
to be with you and always thank them for their assistance. Please use
whatever procedure you normally use to align with receiving attunements.

This system is free of charge, and it shall always be passed as a gift to others!
You are free to share this manual as long as it is kept intact. You are also
free to translate it but I would really like to know that you are doing that for
my own records.

ENJOY!

Jan

Other Systems by me:

The Majestic Conch Shell Empowerment (Lightworker Series)

Banyan Tree Empowerment
Ancient Fairy Stone Healing Empowerment
Jack Frost and the Coming of Winter Empowerment
St. Elmos Fire Empowerment
Becoming Wabi Sabi Empowerment