October is the month during which winter avian residents generally arrive on our Littleton farm. So, under the watchful eyes of our resident fox, I looped through the property, searching primarily for dark-eyed juncos and, our regular seasonal boarder, a lone Townsend's solitaire. Alas, none were seen.
Nevertheless, it was a rewarding effort. I encountered a large flock of bushtits and the woodpecker-nuthatch crowd were well represented. Among the twelve species observed, house finches, as always, were most abundant, followed by American robins that were feasting on juniper berries. Of note, a red-breasted nuthatch, once classified as a winter resident in this region, was seen; this entertaining species has become a permanent resident here over the past decade or so.
I certainly hope that some of the winter birds will turn up before I return to Missouri and I suspect they will. Then again, the expectations of birders are often not met.
