Golden Crowned Sparrows visiting

It brings such pleasure to observe so much bird activity in our backyard and patio.

When we moved to our current residence, the garden beds around the patio were quite bare, just a lot of soil. We didn't have many birds visiting because there wasn't much for them to eat or shrubs to forage around.

Now, a couple of years later, the mostly native shrubs and grasses have grown, creating a habitat for wildlife visitors.

Golden crowned sparrows are a very welcome sight in the winter.

They visit in groups of six or eight, several times a day, often ending their visit with some splashing in the bird bath.

They seem to find a lot to eat.

Here, after a rainstorm, one of them is eating aphids off the branches of a silver bush lupine shrub that is growing in a large pot.