THE EFFECTS OF SUPPLEMENTAL FEEDING ON WINTERING BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES (POECILE ATRICAPILLA) IN CENTRAL MAINE: POPULATION AND INDIVIDUAL RESPONSES

摘要

In a remote area of central Maine, I established bird feeders stocked with black oil sunflower seeds to supplement the food of wintering Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapilla). The chickadees dis- covered experimental feeders established in late October within two weeks; feeders established in mid-January were discovered more slowly. Weekly censuses showed that chickadee abundance was significantly higher in the presence of the feeders. Mark-recapture analysis revealed that as many as 110 and 70 chickadees were using the feeders at the two most intensively studied sites over 2-day periods.