The little chipping sparrows (Spizella passerina) were late getting here this year, but now that they are here it’s been a delight watching them. Most years they arrive in good sized flocks and I usually see them in groups. This year there have been fewer of them and I’m seeing a lot of individual birds. This one today was definitely alone and was hanging out in a brushy area pretty deep in the woods. It had chosen a good place where lots of small branches and twigs kept it pretty well protected from any predators. It seemed to be in kind of a meditative state. Do birds meditate? Probably not. It didn’t seem to be disturbed or upset, just quiet and pensive. Perhaps it had a full belly and just wanted a nap in a safe spot. All I know for sure is that it didn’t seem to want to be bothered, so after a couple of shots, I moved along, leaving it to itself.