I've always thought that the best photographers paint with light rather than just take pictures, and so the best photos could pass as paintings. This could be an oil painting, with the blurry background, and the way the colours blend is almost remeniscent of the sfumato technique. The colour scheme is actually unusual for a winter shot, which usually entail colder hues. The colour of the tree bark, the beautiful colouring of the chikadee & the background perfectly complement eachother. The warmth of the shot, and yet the presence of snow makes me feel like it's Christmas time, when the cold outside is tempered by the warmth of festivity. Perhaps that is the reason why I have to remember to write 'Chikadee' rather than 'robin', which is more associated with Christmas.

I must also mention the cute appeal: the focus on the chikadee just highlights its furry belly and round shape, which makes this shot downright adorable.

First, wow.

I am very much a fan of the level of detail you have captured. The depth of field of this piece both with the chickadee and with the branches he is resting on is bar none - excellent job!

The falling snow is a lovely effect that really makes this photo, as does the small bit of snow brushing around the face of the bird.

Although not typically seen in winter work, the background colours are absolutely ideal for bringing the richness of the tan feathering of the chickadee out and making him really pop. The blacks and whites really stand out here, contrasting with the less defined colours and more bokeh like background in a very soothing way.

This photo is almost like a painting - and those conditions you captured are superb. One small change I might suggest to make the piece stronger would be somehow removing that little blip of leaf or twig (not sure which) that is both faded and out of focus directly underneath the bird's legs at the bottom of the photo and another little blip of tan to the right as well, coming up from the bottom of the photo again - it is distracting from the overall composition, interrupts the flow in both cases, albeit not in a critical way. These are very small nitpicky details, to be sure!

Not photographing the bird dead center was very smart, placement wise. The added space around him adds an ambiance that would be completely missed if the bird was the center of the photo.

It would look cluttered with less space length wise, although you might want to try bringing the top of the photo down just the smallest amount and see how it looks in comparison. It might make a big difference.

Otherwise - great job! There was a reason this is one of my absolute favorite chickadee photos. I'm so glad you asked for critiques so I could explain why.