It is a bit calm in the yard,
which is just as good of a time to introduce some of the calendar birds. The year is greeted with a Dark-eyed Junco. These little birds are usually here from October to April, and live farther north for the rest of the year. Their arrival and departure are always good markers for a seasonal change. They make the funniest noises and are very active with one another. The camera often takes blurry motion shots so this clear photo was a lucky shot. I love these little guys. February is a rare one, an American Tree Sparrow. The spot on the chest gives it away, otherwise they look a lot like Chipping Sparrows. I see these birds rather rarely, and almost never on the cameras, even though they are around, also mostly in the cold season. I liked this shot because the bird looked so confidently into the camera and you can nicely see all the details in his plumage and face. You can find my calendar shop here and there is also a link on the starter page on my homepage here.
