Back from the tundra

Hooray!

Our first sighting of a White-Crowned Sparrow this season.

I read recently that one should be on the lookout now for the seasonal return of Golden-crowned sparrows and Hermit thrushes.

It was so exciting to spot this little one, this morning amongst other birds foraging in our backyard, including California towhees and other sparrows.

It certainly is mind-boggling to realize how far these little birds have to fly to migrate here to the San Francisco Bay Area for the winter.

You can see why it's important to have a kind of messy garden, to provide wildlife with places to forage for seeds and insects.

These photos are not very sharp, because they were taken through our dining area window, which is old and warped.