Spotted Towhee

It is quite unusual to see a tree full of tiny sedentary birds, but it was so cold this morning that they puffed themselves up, some to twice their normal size, and sat in the first rays of the sun to thaw out. The extra is a California Towhee…even more puffed up and apparently still asleep!

Dressed in many layers, finished with hat, gloves and a scarf, I thoroughly enjoyed our early walk this morning. It would have been another story if there had been even a breath of wind, but the sun was beginning to melt the snow-like layer of frost and the sky was a cloudless blue.

I missed the best shot of all…a swan coming in for a landing on the lake. Being the bird equivalent of a jumbo jet, it flew toward me for ages before settling gracefully on the water. I was far less graceful, fumbling with cold gloved fingers  and a recalcitrant lens cap, and succeeded only in capturing some rather nice ripples and and some white tail feathers gliding into the reeds.

She definitely wouldn't have qualified for tiny Tuesday.

Thank you to osuzanna for hosting.