Mid-March has arrived and spring is just around the corner! To recap, l had my first Rufous hummingbird (a male) on March 2. He was a “one and done”… I haven’t seen one since. The first female Rufous hummingbird arrived March 10, just over a week later. I now have at least two in the yard doing what else… fighting over a feeder! And yesterday I saw two Turkey vultures (no photos) heading for the top of Cap Sante… our first arrivals of the season. Other than the Rufous hummingbirds, there’s nothing new in the yard.

I spent a couple of hours in the yard yesterday (March 14) and took 201 photos, retaining 80. For the past several months I seem to have had only a single Red-breasted nuthatch in the yard, but as of late there are now at least two. This one eschewed its favorite water feature in the yard and visited the watercourse, giving me better opportunities for photographs.

Here are a couple of photos of a female Anna’s hummingbird and a female Rufous hummingbird in natural environments.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have two White-crowned sparrows that periodically visit the yard. This one is apparently a first-year bird that lacks the black and white crown of an adult.

This Bewick’s wren usually makes at least one trip through the yard each afternoon but is difficult to photograph due to its level of activity and the distance from me of its usual route. On this day I managed one decent photo.

And finally, this Crossbill towhee, a new species that has been with me for over a year! I was initially concerned about this bird’s survival, but it seems to be doing well with what must be a very serious handicap! It has no trouble dealing with shelled peanuts!

And sadly, my observations and photography allow me to detect certain handicaps that might not be observed through normal birding activities. I have a female Spotted towhee with a curled foot and what appears to be a one-legged male Dark-eyed (Oregon) junco.

On a more positive and final note, the leucistic Song sparrow in Washington Park has made it through at least its third winter!