While this post provides us yet another opportunity to share one of our all-time favorite bird photos (courtesy Dave Menke of the USFWS), it is also a chance to let you know that one of our California favorites is set to take wing for spring migration. While the Dark-eyed Junco -- in all its various forms and subspecies -- is one of the most common songbirds in North America, that makes it no less loved. Its fondness for cold weather has prompted some to call the the Snowbird, and indeed it will be heading to colder climes for breeding as we move deeper into April. A lot of the time, it's heading into the mountains (or into the north) from the valleys. We just got a note from our ornithologist at the Audubon Starr Ranch Sanctuary in Orange County that he's still seeing them, but knows they'll be heading out soon. That said, a lot of these birds don't migrate all that far, so they'll still be hanging around California for sure.