Let the Bird Stand Alone

I often treat the quilting of painted species much different than areas surrounding. I generally like the painted creature to appear without much thread showing. Of course there are exceptions like the mountain lion of "Winter Hunt" where his fur became a serious thread painting. Click Here to view.
For this little winter bird (a Snow Bunting) found in Alaska, thread would interfere... so monofilament was used strictly to create texture.

The breast area brought a special challenge where 2 to 3 stitches were placed here and there as little stitch islands. I think it works. This "no viewable thread" approach to quilting allows the nuanced coloring/shading to be seen.