Beginning in late February Red-winged blackbirds (male and female) began showing up at feeders in the yard. This is an annual spring event. The blackbirds are coming from the wetland near the wastewater treatment plant and making a quick trip up the hill for food. My theory is that they visit our feeders because they can acquire feed quickly without leaving their nest or territory too long to hunt for food. This is one of the females that has been visiting the yard.
On March 2, 2021, (Texas Independence Day!), we had our first Rufous hummingbird (a male) arrival. It immediately began defending one of our feeders. This is the earliest sighting I have in my records… the hummingbirds seem to be arriving earlier the past few years. I might mention that the Rufous hummingbirds arrival seems to be timed with the first blooms on the Red currant, an easy way to anticipate their arrival.
This is a photo of one of the male Anna’s hummingbirds that spent the winter with us. Some of the Anna’s are with us year round, including during colder temperatures and even snow. Several years ago, when we realized that the Anna’s hummingbirds were going to overwinter with or without our help, we began putting out hummingbird feeders year round, shuttling the feeders in and out of the house on freezing days.
Another spring arrival was this male American goldfinch (not in breeding plumage) which arrived March 3, 2021. While we have goldfinches in Skagit County all winter long, we seldom have them show up in the yard before spring when they quickly become one of the most numerous birds in the yard.
This White-crowned sparrow also appeared in the yard on March 3. It’s another bird that can be found in the county all winter but is rare in our yard during the winter. We usually only have one, or at most two pairs in the yard during the breeding season. The sparrows usually attempt to raise a family in the vicinity but in past years their breeding efforts have sometimes been parasitized by Brown-headed cowbirds. After the bird left the yard I heard it vocalize!
