Mountain Chickadees in Alberta

Mountain Chickadees live in Alberta all year. Cold winters broken by chinook thaws in the south. That makes the cold months the time your yard matters most to them: their winter diet shifts toward pine and fir seeds.

Continental — prairie in the southeast, aspen parkland in the center, boreal forest in the north and the Rockies in the west.

Across Alberta, mountain chickadees typically nest from June–July. Nest site: cavity or nest box lined with fur. Females lay 5–9 eggs, incubate for 14 days, and young leave the nest after 18–21 days.

Warm, sunny summers with long days.

• Have boxes cleaned and mounted before May — mountain chickadees begin prospecting ahead of egg-laying.
• Use a 1 1/8 in entrance on a 4 × 4 in floor, mounted 5–15 ft.
• Fit a pole baffle or hole guard; ventilation gaps and drainage holes are essential.
• Clean out old nests after each brood and again after July.

Of the regional native plants we track for Alberta, these 8 provide food or cover mountain chickadees use:

Mountain Chickadees drop to lower-elevation towns in winter and readily use nest boxes.

• Best foods: Black-oil sunflower, Suet, Peanut hearts.
• In Alberta's winter: Cold winters broken by chinook thaws in the south.

Full diet breakdown for mountain chickadees · Best feeder for mountain chickadees