Aveschapines

I'm sure it's a Lesser then! Ours are black-backed, so that may be throwing me off as well, plus I haven't seen many Americans.

Hm, the Lessers here have more distinct wing bars, forming two diagonal lines. But I may well be wrong!

Looks like an American Goldfinch to me; but wait for confirmation since I have little experience with these guys.

What was the first bird of 2020? 😜

There are snakes and lizards around, but I don't generally see snakes near my house. I've never seen a raccoon or porcupine in the area. A lizard did get into the house once, and occasionally the local stray/free-roaming cats try to sneak in when the door is open. I've also had an occasional mouse come in, but again I think that's through the door. Honestly the critters that most often come in are birds! Sometimes I have found warblers or sparrows that have decided to come in for a visit or even spend the night in a potted plant. More often the hummers get confused and I have to escort them outside. And no, that's 20°F, not C. I live at a high elevation and it rarely gets over 80°F, and only for a few hours at midday. It's cool at night, usually in the 40s, but this time of year it goes below freezing most nights. The record low is in the high teens, and then it's too cold even for me to leave the windows open.

Nope, no screens; nobody really has them around here. There are no mosquitoes, and anyway most houses aren't completely enclosed. I do keep the windows open overnight except on the occasional very cold night, in the low 20s, when it's a little too cold for that. So sometimes the hummers take a shortcut through my room. One time one flew in and perched on the top of my reading glasses! I wished I could have taken a photo but I didn't think he'd stay put while I got out a phone or camera. Last night I kept the windows closed until my early AM bathroom run, but to keep out the smell of gunpowder from all the fireworks.

First heard for me was the Great-Tailed Grackles lining up for early AM baths. First seen was in fact a White-Eared Hummingbird.

In one window and out the other 😄

My first bird is almost always either a Rivoli's or a White-Eared Hummingbird, sometimes flying through my bedroom 😄

This has always been fun in past years! Post the first bird you see in 2020. Predictions also allowed until midnight tonight (your time).

No white Christmas here either. How about a Mangrove Swallow? They always remind me of tiny penguins:

Sorry but I don't see such an option either. It looks like I can delete votes as a mod, but not individually; so I don't think I can delete your vote without deleting the other vote in the same category, and I don't want to run that risk, especially since I'm not certain it would allow you to vote again. Sorry!

I agree with Grayish Saltator 😄

Looks like a large Snowy Elf Owl and a flock of ReinKildeer! Merry Christmas 😄

Oh, sorry, I didn't think to move yours too!