Golden-Crowned Sparrow

There seems to be signs of spring already. We had a bit of sun and there was quite a bit of bird activity for a while in my back yard. I noticed several robins and I did get a good photo of this robin..
Apparently we don't have enough natural food source in our yard to keep the robins here all year long. They show up in late winter to begin staking out their territory. Then they nest right around here and we see a lot of them until fall. Then, I guess they go to better feeding grounds.

But, I digress. The bird I got today was taken up at the botanical garden. My trusty "All The Backyard Birds" book says this for white and golden "crowned sparrows,", Both are seen on the ground at feeders in backyards, usually in winter or during migration. The two species often flock and feed together in winter, although golden-crowned sparrows are less numerous than white-crowns and less likely visitors to most backyards." For some reason we see a lot of the golden crowned sparrows and they were thicker than thieves up at the gardens today.

And, at the gardens I noticed lots of little green shoots on their tulip and daffodil bulbs. It was a mild day today with little or no rainfall. That will change for tomorrow.