Junco, with a side of finch

Two previously blipped Yard Birds, a dark-eyed junco (# 11) and a male House Finch (# 3).  Both of these small songbirds are abundant in our yard right now - this morning there were at least 20 of each gobbling up seeds and bickering among themselves.  They are also pretty easy to photograph as they tend to perch out in the open between visits to the feeders.  And it's easy to get the exposure right on these guys since they don't have high contrast colors.  

I set up this shot by positioning myself so that the branch was in front of a wooded area behind our house, filled with lots of fallen leaves, which gives it a nice bokeh.  Then, I just waited until something landed.  Bonus for me that a few extra minutes of waiting yielded two birds in the shot!

Hubs and I took a nice brisk walk this afternoon, all bundled up against temps sitting right at freezing with a stiff breeze.  Best way to beat winter doldrums is to get out and move around, even when it feels much more tempting to curl up in front of the fire!  

This morning I took a drive over to a wildlife management area that sometimes has interesting birds (not today, but sometimes...).  Every time I go there, I notice a piece of "street art" that is painted on the side of a short tunnel.  It's an unlikely place to see any sort of urban art since it is out in the middle of acres of wilderness.  I am posting the shot in Extra - I contemplated making it my blip, but since it is in memory of a young man who died tragically in a fire, I didn't feel right about doing something that might be exploitative.  At the same time, I wanted to honor him in some small way.  I never knew him and until I took the time today to google his name, I didn't know how he had died.  But every time I drive up to that area, I see the painting and it makes me feel sad for a life over way too soon.  It is yet another reminder to me that life is precious and we must always take time to appreciate each of the little moments.

Peace, people.