This is my first Dicksissel not just at the Beach but anywhere, i.e., it was a lifer! After birding for many years it is especially rewarding to turn up a lifer on one's own "patch" - not that a lifer isn't good anywhere but there's a little something particularly nice about having the bird come to you instead of vice versa! That said, it never occurred to me that I'd see one out there, and I'd been planning to chase down one of the birds posted on Massbird at some point, perhaps make a run to Cumbies, and so this was a complete surprise - and saved me a road trip!

It was sitting still in this dead tree in the northern thicket at High Pines and appeared to be watching the considerable sparrow/junco activity on the ground - sort of like a classroom monitor. Unfortunately shortly after I got this shot it flew back into the thicket and did not come out. It was silent the entire time.