Jerry and I went to the cove early this morning looking for shore birds.  We were surprised to see very few.  Those that we did see were in the distance.  I did, however, catch this song sparrow perched on a bush clinging to the cliffs.  Although the song sparrow is quite common, it can look quite different depending on its location.   As this one is a coastal song sparrow, its plumage is darker which serves perhaps as a defense against feather mites which breed in humid climates.  The pigment, melanin, serves two functions: it makes the feathers both darker and tougher to degrade than unpigmented feathers.