Atlantic Birding themes for #BirdOfTheDay #50ShadesOfGrey: birds with grey plumage and Alt: #Fledglings, for any newly fledged bird. A fledgling #MountainChickadee, captured on the east side of the #SierraNevada Mountains along the trail to Sardine Creek.

A small mountain chickadee is perched on a pine branch near the right-center of the image. The bird is tiny and round, with a soft gray body, a black cap and throat, and a pale face that gives it a masked look. It appears to be a fledgling, so it looks a little fluffier and less sharply marked than an adult. The wings and tail are short and delicate, and the bird is facing slightly to the right. It’s surrounded by dense green pine needles and branches that fill most of the frame.