I believe I’ve mentioned in prior posts that I’ve been disappointed in the 2024 spring migration.  I kept detailed records for the month of May in 2023 and there was a steady stream of migrants.  This year there have been many days with only a single warbler showing up, and some days without any.  This year the warblers seemed to make good showings on only a few days, and I realized that certain species seemed to arrive about the same time as opposed to the mixed species I observed last year.  However, there have been several days with a good many warblers and May 27th was one of them.  

The day began overcast and remained that way for the entire day, giving me a perfect day for photography.  I set up in the yard at about 10:15am and remained there, except for a one hour mid-afternoon nap, until about 4:30pm.  During that time I took 490 photographs (not a record for me!) and after processing retained 221.  

There was a fairly steady stream of Wilson’s warblers of both sexes.  At one point I had two males in the yard and at another point there were two females in the yard, but except for those two instances it was usually a single warbler at a time.  I was unable to photograph many of the warblers because they didn’t come near enough, were too active or were obscured by sticks and leaves.  

Late in the afternoon I had a pair of Yellow-rumped (Audubon’s) warblers enter the yard… the female bathed in one of our water features while the male watched.  

And the only other warbler that I saw or photographed was what I think was a female Yellow warbler, the only Yellow warbler I’ve seen this year.  

I left the yard about 4:20pm, but immediately returned when I looked out a window and saw another female Wilson’s warbler.  It was good I did… this female was very cooperative and in about 10 minutes time I had taken 56 photos of her on a variety of staging objects.  I retained 31 of those photos and (subjectively) rated 16 of them at a ‘5’, my highest quality rating!  

In addition to photos of the warblers, I also managed photos of both Rufous and Anna’s hummingbirds feeding on our salvia,

Bushtits,

a juvenile male Golden-crowned kinglet bathing

and a Black-capped chickadee carrying a beakful of moss for nesting material!  I’m not sure how the chickadee could see to navigate!  

When you landscape for wildlife you often attract a lot of creatures other than birds. When the birding gets slow I often content myself by photographing what else happens to be in the yard. On May 25, 2024, I had a variety of subjects to fill in my time while waitIng for spring migrants.

This curious raccoon sauntered into the yard and gave me a stare…

I had a visit from what I believe to be a Western Swallowtail but am somewhat troubled with identification by its lack of yellow color…

We have as many as three Eastern Gray squirrels in the yard at one time. I provide discouragement but they are highly motivated by any bird food they can procure!

We have at least ten American goldfinches visiting the yard at times. This one pictured is a juvenile male.

We have at least two pair of California quail that visit the yard on a regular basis. Last winter we had as many as 19 coming to the yard but they have now dispersed for breeding season. We’re eagerly anticipating the arrival of chicks!

And finally, a frequent t companion when the birding gets slow… one of at least three Townsend’s chipmunks...

On May 16, 2024, we had a male Western tanager visit the yard and watercourse, giving me a multitude od opportunities for photographs.

We’ve since had one other (May 24) but no females.

On the same day we had a male Wilson’s warbler. We’ve been averaging only about one warbler sighting a day, drastically down from this time period last year!

On May 15, 2024, I had a three-warbler day in the yard.  It began with a male Wilson’s warbler that bathed in the watercourse.  

Next up was an Orange-crowned warbler that took a lengthy bath in the watercourse.  

Finally, we had a visit from a male Yellow-rumped (Audubon’s) warbler which I didn’t get to fully observe due to dinner being served for guests.  

I’ll also include this photo of a Brown creeper, a welcome guest bathing in our stone bird bath.  

I had my most interesting birding day that I’d had in a couple of weeks on May 13, 2024.  

Upon arriving in Washington Park for my morning walk on May 13, I almost immediately encountered a Pileated woodpecker working on a very short stump in a large clearing. I’ve found these birds to be very tolerant of human proximity in the past and so I attempted to move closer to the bird for a photo with my iPhone. I was marginally successful but the bird flew before I could get anything resembling a good photo. 

While I was attempting to photograph the woodpecker, the leucistic Song sparrow flew to my location hoping for a handout. The bird has now been hanging out in the park for well over a year. 

My yard birding day began about mid-morning when I looked out my office window and saw a female Brown-headed cowbird bathing in our watercourse. I had no opportunity to get downstairs and photograph the bird so my yard birding day began with another lost photographic opportunity. 

Upon arriving in the yard with my good camera mid-morning, I had just sat down when a Chipping sparrow hopped into view!  I recall seeing one in the yard on only one other occasion. It was in view only very briefly before it disappeared, yet another photographic opportunity lost!  

At this point my photographic opportunities began to change. The first female Wilson’s warbler showed up and toured the yard, giving me ample opportunities for photographs. It, or another one, made at least three appearances. 

Next up was a fledged juvenile Dark-eyed (Oregon) junco which suddenly appeared on one of my staging sticks directly in front of me.  I was elated because it indicated that the single pair that had remained in the yard had had a successful breeding season. (In past seasons this species had been parasitized by cowbirds.)  This initial juvenile was soon joined by two others!  

On this day I realized that some of the birds I had been seeing and photographing were juveniles as I saw them being fed. In addition to the juncos this included Red-breasted nuthatches and Black-capped chickadees. I also realized that the lethargic Pine Siskins I had been seeing were apparently juveniles. 

In mid-afternoon I had a quick appearance by a male Wilson’s warbler but it gave me no opportunity for a photograph. 

I’ll round ut this post with a pair of Housenfinches that came to the watercourse.

All in all, it was a great day for bird observations even if the photographic opportunities were somewhat disappointing.