Day 109: Closely related to the Chestnut-backed Chickadees and Black-capped Chickadees who are regular visitors to my yard, a single Woolly-capped Chickadee (Poecile lana) perched on a mossy fence rail long enough that I was able to make a positive ID. This specimen was slightly narrower in the body than the Chessies, but otherwise, its markings were quite similar and could easily mislead a casual observer. However, Woollies forage for insects in moss by scratching with their coppery-coloured talons in a "jump-back" maneuver reminiscent of the Spotted Towhee. This behaviour distinguishes them from Chessies when it is possible to observe the bird feeding.
Now I'm sure none of you were fooled by my description, but just in case, here's the disclaimer: my latest needle-felting project took the better part of a week to create (the arthritis in my hands prevents me from working very long at felting). I put the finishing touch on yesterday: plastic "pin eyes" which I felt served the purpose better than wool eyes. The legs were formed by wrapping glue-soaked wool around twisted copper wire. Mr. Woolly is free-standing, and is my first felted 3-D bird.
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