On April 21, 2019, Easter Sunday, I noticed an unremarkable sparrow in the yard that I couldn’t identify without using binoculars.  Once I saw the bird through my binoculars I realized immediately that it was a Lincoln’s sparrow, a species I had logged in our yard only once before many years ago.  In fact I have worried from time to time that I may have misidentified my original sighting.  But in this case I was sure of my identification and had pictures to confirm my identification. 

I’ve often preached the value of factors other than appearance in making identifications.  When I opened our window shades before good light the next morning, I saw a single bird foraging in the yard.  It was not one of the sparrow species which are common at this time of year, nor was it one of the other FIVE species of sparrows (Spotted towhee, Dark-eyed junco, House sparrow, Golden-crowned sparrow, White-crowned sparrow) which had been in our yard the previous day.  (Two week’s previously I could have also added a Song sparrow and a Fox sparrow, but they have since moved on.)   The only sparrow foraging in the yard before first light was the Lincoln’s sparrow!  

On a somewhat different subject, on April 23 I was birding in the yard and saw my first confirmed arrival of a Brown-headed cowbird, a male (no photo).  I also had several visits by one or more Orange-crowned warblers.  On one visit with the warbler bathing in the watercourse, a male Yellow-rumped Audubon warbler flew into the watercourse and began bathing within a foot of the Orange-crowned warbler.  As they flew from the watercourse three more Orange-crowned warblers flew into the yard!  

So I have to conclude that the spring migration is on!  (And as of Wednesday, April 24th afternoon, the Lincoln’s sparrow was still with us.)  

Sunday, April 7, 2019, began as a sort of humdrum birding day.  Things were so bad I started alternating my birding with yard chores.  Here are a couple of House sparrows… the male and an unusually good photo of a female.

Continuing with the sparrow theme, here is a photo of a Song sparrow, probably the only one we have.

Things got a little more interesting when this male Downy woodpecker came to the suet feeder and then took its time exiting the yard, giving me the opportunity for a few photos.

A Bewick’s wren has been visiting the suet feeder this past winter and it’s having a difficult time giving it up!

And this is when things began to get interesting!  All last season I only saw hummingbirds of any species visit the watercourse twice, which is in sharp contrast to prior years when we  had hummingbirds visit the watercourse multiple times on a daily basis.  This afternoon a female Rufous hummingbird first came down to bathe…

And then a male came down for a bath!

I’m anxious for warblers to arrive but my records indicate that most won’t arrive until May.  However, hope springs eternal and finally, after 5pm I saw movement in one of our madrone trees.  I realized almost immediately that it wasn’t one of the American goldfinches that are now so prevalent… it was a male Yellow-rumped warbler (Audubon’s race) in full breeding plumage!  The bird eyed both primary water sources in the yard and then left the yard after only a couple of minutes.  I could so early have missed it.

And one bit of bad news.  Early this morning I was on our west patio when a couple of birds flew into our very large madrone tree.  I didn’t have my binoculars but was trying to ID the birds with rather obstructivee backlighting.  Suddenly the birds flew, first a female, then a male followed by another female.  I realized by their flight patterns that I was watching three Brown-headed cowbirds… our first recorded arrival this year.  In past years, in our immediate vicinity they have parasitized White-crowned sparrows, Spotted towhees and Dark-eyed juncos.