Counting Chickadees

Counting Chickadees

1Theo's mom had promised their neighbor, Mr. Halvorsen, that Theo would help with the winter bird count. It had snowed all night, and the whole street was quiet and white. On Saturday morning, Mom handed Theo his scarf and opened the front door. Theo sighed loudly and dragged his boots through the snow all the way next door.

2Mr. Halvorsen opened the door before Theo could knock. He leaned on a wooden cane, and his face broke into a wide smile. "Right on time!" he said. On the kitchen table by the big back window sat two mugs of hot cocoa, two pairs of binoculars and two sharpened pencils. Beside them was a tall stack of spiral notebooks. The cover of the bottom one was faded and curled at the corners.

3"Every winter, people all over the country count the birds they see and send in their lists," Mr. Halvorsen explained. "Scientists use the numbers to learn which birds are doing well and which ones need help." He tapped the stack of notebooks. "My granddaughter Lena used to be my partner, but she moved far away last spring. These days the cocoa gets cold before anyone drinks the second cup."

4Theo picked up a pair of binoculars. At first he saw nothing but snowy branches and an empty feeder. He checked the clock on the wall. Only five minutes had passed. Then a small gray bird with a black cap landed on the feeder. "Chickadee," Mr. Halvorsen whispered. "Write it down." Theo made a tally mark. A moment later, a bright red cardinal swooped in, followed by two more chickadees.

5Soon Theo was leaning so close to the window that his breath fogged the glass. He wiped it with his sleeve and kept counting. When a blue jay screamed from the fence, Theo laughed. "That one's bossy," he said. "They usually are," Mr. Halvorsen agreed with a chuckle.

6When Mr. Halvorsen announced that the two hours were over, Theo looked up in surprise. "Already?" he asked. His cocoa sat untouched on the table, cold and forgotten. Together they added up the tally marks: fourteen chickadees, six cardinals, three blue jays and one woodpecker that Theo had spotted all by himself.

7Mr. Halvorsen wrote the totals neatly in a fresh notebook and set it on top of the stack. Theo wound his scarf around his neck. At the door, he stopped. "Mr. Halvorsen," he said, "is it okay if I come back next Saturday? I want to see if the woodpecker visits again." The old man's eyes crinkled. "I'll make the cocoa," he said. "Maybe this time you'll drink it."