Photo by Chris Bosak
A junco looks for seeds on a dried up plant at Weed Beach in Darien, Conn., in Jan. 2015.

Photo by Chris Bosak
An American Robin perches on a rock at Weed Beach in Darien, Conn., in Jan. 2015.

I dropped off my third-grader at school and faced a decision heading out of the parking lot: Take a left to the beach and see what birds might be there; or take a right and basically start my work day earlier than I have to.

Of course I took the left. It’s a good thing, too, because there were some pretty cool birds down at the beach. Nothing too out of the ordinary, but some good photo opps of birds such as Dark-eyed Juncos, Horned Grebe, Fox Sparrow and American Robins.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A Fox Sparrow perches in a cedar tree at Weed Beach in Darien, Conn., in Jan. 2015.

It was one of those cold, but sunny days following a snow storm. The air was crisp, the snow still somewhat fresh and a clean smell lingering in the air.

Some people have written to me this winter wondering where the juncos are. They haven’t been showing up under feeders as much as in previous years. The flock I saw on Thursday was very sizable. I wouldn’t worry about juncos. They’re still around.

It was also the first Fox Sparrow I had seen in a few years. Some years they show up in large numbers, some years seemingly not at all, and some years here and there. There was only one Fox Sparrow among the dozens of juncos.

Here’s a few more of the photos.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A group of European Starlings look for food among the snow at Weed Beach in Darien, Conn., in Jan. 2015.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A Fox Sparrow scratches on the ground for weed seeds at Weed Beach in Darien, Conn., in Jan. 2015.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A female Northern Cardinal perches in a cedar tree at Weed Beach in Darien, Conn., in Jan. 2015.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A Dark-eyed Junco perches in a tree at Weed Beach in Darien, Conn., in Jan. 2015.