In my last post I mentioned how some interesting birds were beginning to visit the yard… perhaps the beginnings of an early fall migration.  I spent a little time in the yard on the afternoon of July 29 and had a male Wilson’s warbler visit the yard, flying around the yard several times before finally visiting the watercourse multiple times.

For comparison, here is a male American goldfinch…

And while we’re featuring some bold colors, here is a male House finch…

For a couple of weeks I’ve noticed a native honeysuckle high above the ground projecting from a madrone grove at the edge of the yard.  Today I noticed a female Rufous hummingbird accessing the bloom.  I was too far away for a really good photo but I had direct sunlight on the subject with a dark background.

I walk five mornings a week in Washington Park and this past week had a couple of interesting experiences (sans photos) there.  On July 25 I was watching a group of about 7-8 Black oystercatchers on the beach near Green Point when another group of about the same size flew in.  I began a more serious count and counted a total of 15 oystercatchers, the most I had counted in all of my years of visiting that location in the park.

Then on July 27 I had just begun my walk when I spied what was probably a Barred owl (probably a juvenile) sitting in a tree very near the road.  I watched it for several minutes and was joined by another couple (also birders) and we all watched the owl for several more minutes. It flew from the tree to the roadside right in front of us and we got to watch it until it was frightened by a couple of less-aware walkers.

We’ve been consistently seeing Barred owls along the southeastern half of the loop road early in the mornings for at least the past couple of weeks.

We’ve had a dearth of warblers and other interesting birds in the yard for the past couple of months, but things have picked up some lately.  On July 27 I spent considerable time in the yard with a handsome reward.  I had notice an unusual number of birds in the yard during the morning but nothing other than the usual visitors.  I decided to opt for a more detailed look with my camera.  As I was idly watching the bird traffic I was suddenly presented with two unusual visitors at once… a juvenile Cedar waxwing and a male Wilson’s warbler!

(These two photos are of the same waxwing, but this first photo of the waxwing was post-bath!)

The appearance of these two birds inspired me so I decided to spend a little more time in the yard.  It was a very good thing I did because a while later I was surprised by another warbler.  At the time I was absorbed in photographing it I thought it was an Orange-crowned warbler, but after it left the yard I had time to gather my thoughts and realized that it was a MacGillivray’s warbler, a very rare visitor to the yard!  I suspect that this bird is either a female or a juvenile and not a mature male which would have a darker mantle and make it easier to recognize.  The main identifying factor is the split white eye ring.

I’ll throw in a Black-headed grosbeak just for good measure.  I’m guessing that this is either a female or a juvenile.  We’ve had at least two pairs of grosbeaks in the yard this season and they, and their offspring, are regular visitors to the feeders.

The next day I was inspired to sit in the yard again.  I photographed this Orange-crowned warbler early and a male Wilson’s warbler in the afternoon.  Unfortunately I saw the Wilsons warbler bathing in the watercourse from the kitchen window but failed to sneak a good photo of it, having to settle for a shot of it preening in a madrone tree.

The hummingbird wars are on in earnest with a male Anna’s hummingbird attempting to keep another Anna’s and one or more female Rufous hummingbirds at bay and off the feeders and the salvia.

And finally (remember there’s always a “finally”!), while I was initially buoyed by the lack of juvenile Brown-headed cowbirds the area fielded this season, we now have Spotted towhees, White-crowned sparrows and Dark-eyed juncos (Oregon race) all feeding cowbird chicks.  : (   These are all species that have been susceptible to cowbird predation in past seasons here in the yard.

It’s been awhile since I last posted a blog.  I’m having difficulty with my typing due to Dupuytren’s contracture (look it up!) in my right ring finger, so my touch typing is drastically slowed due to a prolific number of “l’s”, “o’s”, “p’s and other surrounding characters from the keyboard.  I hope to get the condition corrected (for what will be the third time), this time surgically.  However, things will undoubtedly get worse before they get better.  So posts will probably get rather sporadic until I recover from an anticipated surgery to correct the condition.

I spent about an hour and a half in the yard this afternoon and obtained some good photos of mostly common visitors.  So here we go…

This White-crowned sparrow, which I can identify by its lack of a tail, helped raise a Brown-headed cowbird this season.

This is a juvenile Brown-headed cowbird, but not necessarily the one the sparrow (pictured above) raised.  We have at least two juvenile cowbirds visiting the yard and it is unlikely they were nest-mates.  If you aren’t familiar with cowbird breeding strategies I suggest you perform a little investigation.  It’s an interesting story.

This is what the White-crowned sparrow should have raised, and it’s possible, I suppose, that it raised both birds.

Continuing with the juvenile theme, the Red-winged blackbirds who are nesting in the pond adjacent to the sewer treatment plant below us are now bringing juveniles to our feeders.  That’s the juvenile in the upper left of the photo, begging for food from its mother.

Here’s another photo of the blackbirds with the juvenile nearest the camera and the female in the background

Here is a photo of a male Red-winged blackbird that I’ve photographed previously this season.  For whatever reason (henpecking?) he’s missing the feathers on the top of his head.  The blackbirds only visit our yard/feeders while they are raising young.  In the non-breeding season the sexes, while still gregarious, often separate.

This is either a juvenile or female Anna’s hummingbird.  Many of the Anna’s hummingbirds remain with us through the winter… and NOT just because people leave feeders out.

One of a series of juvenile American robins that visit our yard to utilize our water features…

A male House finch which may, or may not, be from this year’s crop.  This one leans towards an orange or peach color, but there is a large variation in the colors of the males.

We have at least two pairs of Black-headed grosbeaks who visit the yard from time to time.  This male appears that he might have been eating blackberries.

And finally, during my time in the yard this afternoon we had a very brief visit from a female Western tanager.  This is the first tanager we’ve seen in probably six weeks or so.    I was very fortunate to obtain this photo…

This blog post is going to put the wraps on Arizona, a trip that ended April 17, 2017.

This photo is of an unidentified lizard hanging out in a parking lot island where we stayed just outside Tucson for our last couple of nights in Arizona.

While I’m on the subject of unidentified species, here’s a flycatcher working the same parking lot as the lizard.

These Cactus wrens both had nests and were bringing food to young.

My big find was a grouping of grasses which attracted a male Lazuli bunting.  Until I posted this I had assumed that I was photographing a single male over two days, but after viewing these photos I’m inclined too believe that I actually photographed more than one male.  The male was a steady customer and I have many really good photos of it in the grasses and in the immediate area.  

I’ll depart Arizona with one last photo of a Cactus wren.

I’ve been spending substantial time in the yard lately but unless something really interesting appears I’ll be on to Central Texas next (late April, 2017).