Sweet story. Really enjoyed how your writing brought me into that cafe on a cold day. I too have been observing birds from under the heavy lids of my eyes in the mornings while having coffee. Here in my Central Valley town of Davis, we've tried to create a backyard that is an attractive wildlife habitat. Native plants and shrubs, some easy to access water features, a couple of evergreen trees, and some open space. Every year around this time--all of a sudden out of nowhere--heaps of birds descend on the yard. It's a lovely way to start the day, looking out at birds pecking the ground, flitting between branches, doing their couple dances in the air. I'm often amazed at how many different types their are, since Davis has shifted from being a rural farm town to a suburb for the University and near by state capitol. I can tell the difference in shape, size, and color, but I'm not hip to their actual names. I did get out to purchase a bird identification book so I could begin to know the area birds. Your post is a good kick in the pants to crack that bird book and start learning the names of the wildlife in my own backyard. jesikah maria ross, Co-Project Director Saving The Sierra: Voices of Conservtion In Action