first snow bunting of winter

OK, so we've already had the first snowfall and the second snowfall last week but it just isn't winter until I see the first snow bunting.

So, we were down at Colt State Park in Bristol, RI looking at the newly arrived brant -- hundreds of brant traditionally winter there -- and I spotted this lone snow bunting on the edge of the grass by the rocks.

Other signs of winter were dark-eyed juncos and, of course, the brant.



A single laughing gull in with a flock of herring gulls and ring-billed gulls kept its distance from the herring gulls but didn't seem as intimidated by people.