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Black Capped Chickadee I sketched this bird from a photo taken by Jerry Acton (see his beautiful photography at www.jerryacton.com). It was photographed during a strong wind in early spring before the leaves emerged from a crabapple tree in his Berkshire, NY backyard. I painted it in watercolor, adding a very cool, active sky to heighten the sense of movement. With their oversized round heads, tiny bodies, distinctive coloration, and curiosity about everything, Black-capped Chickadees, Poecile atricapillus, are welcome additions to any backyard bird feeder. In the spring flocks of these birds disband and move into the woods to nest. The breeding habitat of the Black-capped Chickadee is mixed or deciduous woods in Canada, Alaska, and the northern United States. Vocalizations of these birds are highly complex but the most familiar call is "chick-a-dee-dee-dee" which gave the bird its name. Black-capped and Carolina chickadees are virtually impossible to tell apart visually, but they are readily distinguished by their calls. The point of overlap for the two species is near New Brunswick, NJ. The original watercolor, presented in a 1.75" wide variegated cherry wood frame incised with two grey lines (double matted in acid-free white on black to an outer dimension of 18" x 19"), is available for $1,195.00. Limited edition prints and note cards are also available Click here for availability and price.