We seem to be edging into fall despite one last weekend pf heat.  I’ve had a few warblers visiting the yard but not in any kind of numbers.  Most have been either female/juvenile Yellow warblers or male Wilson’s warblers, and I have no way to determine if it’s the same warbler visiting or a succession of different warblers.  I have also had visits by one or more female/juvenile Western tanager(s), somewhat difficult to separate from all the American goldfinches frequenting the feeders in the yard.

Yesterday (9/1) I had nice back-to-back photos of chickadees in the watercourse.  Since the difference in these species results in questions regarding their identification, I’ll (yet again) post photos identifying them.  This first photo is of a Black-capped chickadee, a bird that prefers deciduous habitat.

The following photo is of a Chestnut-backed chickadee, a bird that prefers the coniferous environment.  I take morning walks in Washington Park and ALL of the chickadees I encounter on the loop road, a road immersed in the firs and cedars, are of the Chestnut-backed species.

Also yesterday, over a significant period of time, I had at least four visits from one or more male Wilson’s warblers.  I suspect that it was more than one bird duet behaviors I observed.  This first photo is of a pre-bath male, that is what you might expect toes in a normal setting.

These next two photos are of a male in the middle of a bath, perhaps a little more difficult to identify.

PERSONAL NOTE:

Lastly, a note about my blog.  I’m muddling through three separate issues with my right hand and arm.  While a fairly competent touch-typist since the eighth grade (Thank you, Ms. Bagley, for both of our efforts I couldn’t appreciate at the time!), the issues make it extremely, frustratingly difficult for me to type.  Hopefully this will be corrected with three (!) surgeries I will undergo on the same day in early October.  No one knows how much of my typing ability I’ll be able to recover, or how long it might take me to recover, but it’s certain that my period of recovery will slow my blog postings.  My camera, lens and monopod weigh 13 pounds, so its likely that my photography might also be affected.  This is NOT a cry for sympathy but for understanding!