Bird sightings in the yard are, for whatever reason, somewhat less interesting this summer than last.  The Red crossbills which were with us all last summer and most of the winter have mysteriously disappeared and the Black-headed grosbeaks, normally frequent visitors to the yard and feeders are conspicuously absent this year… with a single exception which you’ll read about soon.  This year we have only a single male California quail that visits the yard… gone are the multiple covies of both sexes we’ve seen in prior years.  So that’s most of the bad news.

The good news is that for about the past week or so we’ve had both a single, apparently juvenile Mourning dove in the immediate vicinity and we’re now being visited by two Eurasian Collared doves.

Juvenile Mourning Dove

Earlier this month we were visited by a single male Black-headed grosbeak and instead of checking out the feeders it went for the watercourse.  I’m not sure I’ve ever seen one in or around the watercourse or one of the bird baths, but this bird’s visit gave me many opportunities for photographs with the bird out in the open… an opportunity I almost never get.

Male Black-headed Grosbeak

Male Black-headed Grosbeak

On the same day as the grosbeak’s visit we were visited by a family of five Bushtits, very rare visitors to the yard.  They also visited the watercourse and I also managed many photographs, although they were eventually discouraged by House sparrows.

Bushtit

And also earlier this month I had a visitor that, when processing photos, I realized I couldn’t identify.  After consultations with better birders than I, I have about accepted that this is a Song sparrow… although unlike any I have ever seen.  The beak appears unusually elongated and it’s possible that the bird is a juvenile.

Juvenile Song Sparrow?

And finally, I should mention that the crocosmia is now in full bloom which offers many opportunities for hummingbird photographs.  I use the word ‘opportunities’ because even though I can shoot a lot of photographs, it can still be difficult to obtain really quality photographs of the hummers in flight!  (This is truly a case of having to open a lot of oysters to find a pearl!)