Verdin

One of the first birds that I came across at Corn Creek was a Verdin. I was only vaguely familiar with this bird having seen some pictures on the web.
It was quickly evident that this Verdin was working on its nest. It would fly out among some nearby trees returning shortly with a bill full of dried grass that it would take into its nest. The nest consisted of a large ball of woven grass in among the tight branches of the tree as you can see in the bottom image. Based on what I read, since it is Autumn, I believe the Verdin was fortifying its nest for the approaching Winter.
Even though I was fairly close to the bird it was very hard to get a good picture. It was constantly on the move and the sun was at a poor angle. None-the-less, I got enough good pictures that I got a pretty good look at this bird.