I just this last week returned from Texas with almost 1100 images taken of birds.  In past years the shear volume of photos has overwhelmed me but this year I’m going to make a concerted effort to process and post some of those photos… stay tuned.

But for the time being, I returned earlier this week to experience our own migration here in the PacNW.  I sat in the yard for about two hours on May 4, Cinco de Mayo eve (!), after my wife saw a male Wilson’s warbler (our first of the year) early in the morning and I later saw an Orange-crowned warbler.  My yard observations began very slowly due to a lack of birds, so I spent some time on minor habitat work for purposes of photographic improvement.  But as you’ll see, things picked up after awhile.

We had our first Black-headed grosbeak (a male) of the season on May 3, not ten minutes after I warned my wife to be alert for one.  My wife saw the first one on a feeder but later I saw one enter the watercourse but wasn’t able to obtain a photo.  This isn’t a great photo, but I’ll have an opportunity for more over the next few months.

Our wintering Anna’s hummingbirds are continuing to visit the yard.  This female was hovering over the watercourse prior to bathing.

I was visited by a Red-breasted nuthatch that seemed very lethargic and I was worried that it might be sick, but after observing it for awhile I decided that it was a juvenile and just not motivated to be as active as an adult.  (Note the tufts of feathers behind its head.)  It drank some water and sat by the edge of a water feature for several minutes without much movement, but then climbed to the top of this staging stick, sat there for a minute or so before flying to one of the feeders, grabbing a peanut and flying to a nearby fir tree.  I watched as it disappeared up the trunk.

The yard is visited by both species of chickadees that are common in the area.  This Chestnut-backed chickadee prefers coniferous habitat…

while this Black-capped chickadee prefers an environment with deciduous trees.  Fortunately, we have both since we live on the edge of undeveloped City parkland.

We have a family of crows who built a nest just outside the boundaries of our yard. They are regular visitors to the water features in our yard.

A pair of White-crowned sparrows arrived in our yard this spring.  Sadly, last year their breeding efforts produced a Brown-headed cowbird.  We have yet to see any cowbirds and I can only hope they arrive too late to interrupt this pair’s breeding season.

We still have a few Golden-crowned sparrows left in the yard.  At the beginning of the week we had at least four, and for the latter part of the winter we hosted at least ten, but I only saw this male on this day and it will probably be leaving any time now.

And finally, our VIP visitor of the afternoon, a male Wilson’s warbler.  This is the first day for this species’ visit and the second visit by one for the day.  It had a lengthy bath in several places in the watercourse.  Of the warblers, I consider this our most common visitor to our yard.