If the Little Bunting is not refound, it had quite a send off party on the winter solstice. The day dawned misty as birders arrived in the gloam and set up scopes. Our team left Oakland at 2am to be in Arcata by sunrise, and many traveled much further and longer. And thankfully the Bunting appears by 8am and foraged in the fog amidst the cow pies, until miracles of miracles, the sun came out. In early morning light, the Little Bunting delighted the 50 or so folks aligned on the farm road, by flitting to and fro, up on the fence, down on the track, always near the crowd. By nine it move back away from the road and many folks began leaving with huge smiles. We ate our celebratory Chocolate Donuts and toasted our Paleoarctic vagrant, our winter solstice present. Sadly the afternoon visitors had many frustrating hours. Yet, it seems appropriate on the shortest day of the year for the Bunting to symbolically return north with the sun.