Oak Titmouse singing in the rain

There is at least one oak titmouse that I often notice in shrubs and trees around the garden.

I first noticed them because of their songs.

They are quite robust songs which surprised me the first time I noticed they were coming from such a small bird.

The males sing more and more as spring approaches.

These birds eat seeds, berries, other plant material, as well as invertebrates such as aphids, spiders, wasps and flies.

I took the photo above during a period between heavier rain showers.

The birds seem to enjoy light rain, fluffing their feathers and flapping their wings to clean themselves.

You can really see the crest on the titmouse's head as it turns away from the camera.

It is one of the most common birds in California, but the population is slowly declining due to clearance of its usual habitat, oak woodland, for urban and suburban development.