One of the things I enjoy about living where I live is listening to the birds in the morning. Just for fun I took out my little notepad and jotted down the names of the birds I heard singing and/or calling today. It took them a little while to get going, most likely because we had some heavy rain in the evening (canceling last night's astronomy) which turned to snow during the night. This morning's "joyful noise" was provided by the following:

American Robin, Grace's Warbler, Northern Flicker, Cassin's Finch, White-breasted Nuthatch, Pygmy Nuthatch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Plumbeous Vireo, Chipping Sparrow, Western Bluebird, Western Tanager, and Brown Creeper.

As I write this the sun has set, it is nearly dark, and there is still a robin outside chatting away.