Our leucistic Dark-eyed (Oregon) junco is still around and I now assume that it will be with us through the winter. Here’s a better photo of the bird than I previously posted…

We have at least one male and one female Anna’s hummingbird visiting the yard. In addition to accessing the feeder from time to time they also visit the variety of salvia we have growing around the watercourse. The most robust salvia, and by far the hummingbirds’ favorite, seems to be the ‘Hot Lips’ variety with red-tipped white blooms. I’ve noticed that the hummingbirds seem to spend less time on each bloom later in the blooming season and d suspect that this is due to declining nectar production.

I had initially assumed that this next bird, (photographed on 10/6/2021) was a Ruby-crowned kinglet but on closer examination due to this posting I realized it was the very similar Hutton’s vireo.

Here’s a photo of a Ruby-crowned kinglet for comparison. Notice the shape of the bills.

Golden-crowned sparrows are also visiting the yard. A couple of days ago I counted six, at least two of which seemed to be the first juveniles I’ve ever noticed.

Venturing beyond the yard on 10/4/2021, this Lapland longspur was pointed out (and identified) by other birders at the Hayton Access. The bird was very difficult to see (and photograph) due to it feeding in the weeds, but after a lot of patience I finally managed a photograph as it skittered across a walking path.

On 10/7/2021 I visited the Seafarers Memorial area of the Cap Sante Marina and found a Common loon in transition to its winter plumage. The loon was relatively close to the shore but unfortunately I was shooting into the sun and glare on the water.

While there my attention was drawn to a very active bird that I didn’t recognize. I managed several good photos but had to rely on a friend to identify it as a Horned lark. This is a widely distributed bird but apparently rare here in the PacNW.

Finally, I birded the Cap Sante wetland area the same afternoon looking for a Barred owl that has been seen there multiple times in the last several weeks. No luck with the owl, but with the help of a little “pishing”, I did see: 

a Hermit thrush, three Song sparrows, a male Anna’s hummingbird, a Pacific wren, a Bewick’s wren and this Orange-crowned warbler…

I’ve had an interesting couple of days in the yard. On October 1, 2021, I logged our first confirmed sightings of (two) Ruby-crowned kinglets. I’ve seen at least one Golden-crowned kinglet just about every time I’ve been in the yard in the last two weeks, but the Ruby-crowned kinglet has been more elusive. I have yet to get a good photo of a Golden-crowned kinglet this fall but not so the Ruby-crowned kinglet. I’m assuming that both birds were female since I was unable to see any ruby crowns on either bird, but I’ve learned over the years that the males can very effectively hide their crown.

On October 2, 2021, we had the first warbler we’ve had in some time… a Yellow-rumped Audubon’s warbler which was probably a juvenile.

On the same day (and on the next day as well) we had a leucistic Dark-eyed (Oregon) junco visit the yard. Interestingly enough we had one that spent the entire winter with us last year… I have yet to compare the photos of the one we have this fall with the one which spent the last winter with us. Stay tuned!

Here are a couple of other more normal Dark-eyed Oregon juncos…

A female Northern flicker, entering the yard for suet…

And a male Anna’s hummingbird which will probably be with us for the winter…

Our day here in Anacortes began with rain so I skipped my usual morning walk in the park. The rain didn’t last long and I decided on a birding excursion, my first of the fall season, when it became apparent that the weather was going to improve.  

I photographed a Capian tern and Bald eagle on March Point.

My first good photos were of Savanna sparrows in a field on Fir Island.

 In the same area I was surprised to lure a male Common yellowthroat out of the weeds along a ditch when ‘pishing’ to gain a Song sparrow’s attention.  

Further along my way I photographed this Great Blue heron. 

I ran into a birding friend at one of the wildlife access areas and he told me about a Black-necked stilt at another of the wildlife access areas (Hayton). I later photographed the stilt along with several Greater yellowlegs. This is the first stilt I’ve ever photographed in the Pacific Northwest!

I was also told that there was a White-faced ibis in the area but I didn’t see it.

I obtained some photos of a Song sparrow while in the area of the stilt.

At the HQ tract on Fir Island I saw, but didn’t get good photos of, about ten Wood ducks.

There were already at least hundreds, if not thousands, of Snow geese, Canada geese (and probably other species of geese) both on the ground and flying over the island. They’ll be with us for the winter. 

And that’s my early season bird report!  

We’re beginning to transition to our cooler fall weather. I’ve been disappointed in the number of fall migrants entering the yard, but on the other hand, some of our winter residents are beginning to arrive.

As is my usual habit lately, on September 23, 2021, I spent time in the afternoon monitoring the yard for birding activity. The (Oregon) Dark-eyed juncos are beginning to arrive and will soon be our most numerous yard-bird species, assuming that I can keep discouraging the House sparrows. I continue to marvel at the feather patterns in the detailed photos I get, something that may not be evident in the photos I post to my blog.

We have one very active juvenile Spotted towhee in the yard that has figured out how to garner peanut halves, and it’s a beautiful specimen of a bird! I think the two sets of adults that were around the yard for the breeding season may have departed the immediate area.

Golden-crowned sparrows have returned from their breeding grounds north and east of here. Our first arrival on September 10 seemed to be a juvenile which I at first had trouble identifying, but now several adults have arrived. By winter we should have 6-8 residents which will be with us until the sporing.

For the past couple of weeks we have had at least one Golden-crowned kinglet pass through the yard every day, but I have yet this year to obtain a decent photo of one.

There are perhaps two problems with what I perceive as a relative dearth of migrants this fall. As I stated in a prior blog post, I was overrun with House sparrows this fall. I responded by restricting the amount and kinds of food available to them and that has been a creative success. On the other hand, over the past several weeks we have had a rather unwelcome (especially to other birds) visitor to the yard, often several times a day. This is one of perhaps a pair of juvenile Cooper’s hawks whose main prey is other birds!

But back to September 23… as I was about to retire for the day I noticed a large group of raccoons heading for the yard from the adjacent parkland. I realized that their path would probably bring them in front of my camera lens, so I waited patiently. I wasn’t disappointed! There were at least five in the main group, but I believe that two others crossed our alley before the main group was separated by a walking neighbor.

On September 20, 2021, I was about halfway through a rare at-home margarita, watching the 5:30pm national news with dinner pending when I received a phone call from neighbors.  It seems that they were watching a large owl chase an Eastern Gray squirrel around a tree trunk in the Cap Sante wetland and they wanted me to come down to watch and try to photograph the owl.  I was reluctant because of the aforementioned factors and I had just spent a couple of frustrating hours in the yard unsuccessfully waiting to photograph some interesting birds that I had hoped might happen by.  Added to my reluctance was the fact that the light was fading and conditions didn’t lend themselves to quality photography.  (Back to the owl situation in a minute.)  

On 9/19 I had a brief glimpse (and gotten a couple of bad photographs for records purposes) of our first Golden-crowned kinglet of the fall/winter season. I made several trips to monitor the yard on 9/20 and on almost every one there was initially a kinglet in the yard, but it never presented an opportunity for photographs.  (On my last trip out there were two in the yard… which quickly disappeared once I got settled.)  And sadly, for all the considerable time I spent in the yard only one bird (a Spotted towhee) availed itself of the watercourse.  I photographed a few of the usual residents, including this male Anna’s hummingbird. 

At at one time three Northern flickers were dispersed by what has become a regular, generally unwelcome visitor, a large female/juvenile Cooper’s hawk (confirmed by a hawk expert via photographs by a hawk bander in Seattle).  

But back to the dilemma at hand… whether or not to leave the house and try to photograph the owl.  Under duress from the neighbor I grabbed my camera gear and drove to the wetland intending to use my vehicle as a blind.  When I arrived it wasn’t difficult to find the owl… it was extremely active, flying from perch to perch and apparently hunting.  I noted that the owl was a Barred owl.  We have occasionally had a Great Horned owl in the neighborhood but it is much rarer and this owl had no protruding ears. 

I followed the owl from tree to tree and snapped what photos I was able.  At one point I briefly lost sight of the owl as it flew close to the ground, and when it again popped up on a branch it was carrying what I am assuming was a rat!  I watched (and photographed) the owl as it flew to a couple of different perches and proceeded to eat the rat!  

After consuming the rat the owl continued its hunting activities, moving from perch to perch.  I finally lost the owl when it flew into some trees on the property of the friend who had initially called me.  I’m looking forward to photographing the owl in the coming weeks when I have better light and autumn has done its work and more of the leaves are off the trees.