almost

i found this guy on the deck under the sliding glass doors. juncos are one of only a few year-round avian residents here in the north. the others include:  nuthatches, chickadees, woodpeckers (downy, hairy, red bellied, and pileated), cardinals, and blue jays. we are only a week or two from the earliest migrants (grosbeak finches) returning. it makes this loss doubly sad that we were so close to the end of the winter hardship for this wild creature.

dark eyed junco (Junco hyemalis)