Two bird learnings for today. I’ve had trouble identifying a couple of birds for a long while. Using a telephoto lens really helped.

1. There’s a variety of little birds that have thrown me off for some time. I could never quite pin them down until today, when I finally got a good look at the back of their heads and realized they were Ruby-crowned Kinglets! I never had binos or a good lens on hand when I see them and, without the red crown flaring, I missed the subtle red dot. Mystery solved! (I’ll include a meh photo I took today that shows the elusive red spot).

2. Turns out those dark little birds have been Dark-eyed Junco all along. I had presumed they would be larger, which I need to stop doing for birds. I was also getting confused by their variety in color. Thanks to their pink beaks and song, I think I finally have them down now. Another mystery solved.