I visited Ava Eads in Seward, AK today, and photographed this Black-capped Chickadee. The Chickadee sort of lives on Ava's large open porch, which has been described as a thirty foot long bird feeder.
Chickadee with a deformed beak.
Unable to preen properly, the feathers look rather scruffy.
The chickadee isn't afraid of people. All of the pictures I shot were taken at close range, but in most the dee was just a blur. It never stops moving. It was going back and forth so fast I was getting dizzy trying to focus the camera.
Ava still has a few Pine Siskins. This one was feeding in front of the porch.
Two more Siskins gleaning seeds beneath Ava's feeders.
Poor thing. It's a wonder he can survive. Lucky to have someone taking care of him.
If you can catch it, a vet may be able to trim its bill. The bill is like finger nails, growing all the time, but normally the wear and tear of feeding keeps it the right shape.
Resin
I was thinking the same thing (vet ). That's a shame but obvious that it cannot preen. Poor thing.
Oh it's just so sad! At least it's found a nice place to hang out
Unfortunately, I can't afford to take it to a vet, but a friend and I have been discussing the possibility of catching it and trying to trim the beak ourselves. Now today, yet another dee with an overgrown beak has showed up. This one has an overly long lower beak, but doesn't seem to be in such distress as the first one. He looks well fed and well groomed, so I think he will do ok on his own.
I've been reporting such deformities to USGS Alaska Science Center. They are researching this outbreak of these deformities in the Alaska chickadee population. They have yet to discover the reason for this worrisome outbreak.