I had to have a little work done on my vehicle down in Smokey Point/Arlington on Friday, August 9, 2013.  By about 10am I was ready to ‘bird my way’ back to Anacortes.

I first managed to stumble upon the Portage Creek nature area (not sure what it is officially called) and was surprised at how the good birding portion of the preserve had been allowed to deteriorate.  The entrance of the preserve has been changed to the far side from the entry with which I was familiar and it’s not nearly as bird-friendly, and to get to the better wetlands area required a long walk exposed to the hot sun… there and back.  I decided that was too ‘Texas-like’ for me and drove to the other side.  However before I left the new access I encountered a pair of small flycatchers (pictured below).  I understand that most of these small flycatchers are only identifiable by vocalizations so these may never be identified as to specific species, despite my having obtained good photos.

While I was photographing this pair of flycatchers another bird flew unexpectedly to the top of a nearby tree.  I think that it is probably a female Bullock’s oriole… but again, I’m not sure.

My next notable encounter, at the Fish and WIldlife HQ tract on Fir Island, was this warbler.  Again, I’m not sure of the species.

And finally, at the end of Channel Drive adjacent to the Swinomish Channel, I encountered this pair of warblers.  I have a birding friend who has suggested, and this was my original suspension, that this might be a pair of Common yellowthroats.  If it is, I think I photographed a mature female and a juvenile male.  The birds traveled together and, as you can see, in one of the photographs I was able to get them both.

I don’t normally like to publish photos on my blog that are of unidentified species, but I don’t know how long it might take to resolve the matter.  I have the photos out to a more knowledgeable friend and am hoping for a more educated identification… or at least guess.  If I receive additional information I’ll modify my post by identifying the bird(s) immediately under the photo with a caption.  However I just thought the photos too good to hold until the identifications are resolved.