On a fine Tuesday morning in the Pacific Northwest, if you asked me what my favorite birds are I would say “the towhees I saw on the path to work.”

During the summer, it’s probably the shorebird I could find on the beach. But when I’m feeling restless for a fun-loving songbird, it’s that tiny always present kinglet.

The point is—I don’t exactly have 5 rigidly defined favorite Pacific Northwest birds.

But with the variety of habitats in the northwest, it’s not a bad thing to have a favorite bird for every occasion.