Backs and Caps

I noticed a flurry of little birds today around the suet feeder on our deck, much to my surprise, as the feeder is intended to attract flickers, much larger birds.

Looking at the photos on my computer screen, I could see that the little birds were not as identical, as I'd first thought. There were Black-capped Chickadees, which I learned to recognize as a child from my bird-loving grandmother and added here as an extra photo, but there were also birds of a warm brown hue, including the star of today's blip.

A quick perusal in one of our bird books led me to Chestnut-backed Chickadees, which I'd not heard of before. They're common in western Washington, according to Seattle Audubon Society, so no doubt I'd seen them darting by before, but never at rest -- albeit a temporary one, in this case!

One of the many things I love about being a "blipper" is how much more I notice and learn about my own tiny corner of the world!

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