On March 11, 2024, I went for my morning walk in Washington Park. I encountered the same leucistic Song sparrow that I had first seen in the park a year or two previously. The bird has a prominent white patch on its forehead which appears much like a headlight. 

I had originally seen the bird on the loop road in the park but after not having seen the bird for several months I discovered this past month that the bird had moved several hundred yards from a heavily forested environment to a more open, and for me, accessible, environment. On this morning the sparrow readily came to a small amount of sunflower seed I put out and I was able to photograph the bird with my iPhone. 

I had made considerable efforts in the past to obtain quality photos of the bird, but it had consistently avoided me with its change of location and shyness. But on this day the bird’s location and behavior gave me renewed hope that I might be able to obtain some quality photographs. 

I retuned to the park in the early afternoon and with a little “pishing” and some ‘habitat enhancer’ I managed to reacquire the bird, although it was much more elusive than it had been early that morning. After a little frustration with the bird’s initial behavior I finally got the opportunity for some quality photos with my Nikon D850 and Nikkor 500mm f5.6 lens. 

I spend a lot of time watching and photographing birds and, since most birds aren’t readily identifiable as individuals, I seldom have the opportunity to track them from one year to the next. This bird, by virtue of its leucitism, is different. I get a lot of satisfaction in knowing that this bird has survived (this factor alone can be difficult for leucistic birds) and that I have been able to ascertain its location from year to year. 

March 6, 2024… another cold afternoon in the yard but another rewarding day for bird photography. The sun was out but the temperature was in the low 40’s. My hands get really cold but it’s difficult to protect them since they need to be available for photography on short notice. 

There were no new visitors on this day but plenty of opportunities for a photographer, including some of our rarer visitors. 

A pair of recently arrived Pine siskins spied some sunflower seed I had placed on a rock within about three feet of me and flew down to eat… twice!  This was far too close for my 500mm lens so I filmed them with my iPhone!  (The photo below is not an iPhone photo.)

I had the usual heavy traffic of chickadees, Dark-eyed Oregon juncos and Golden-crowned sparrows, plus other usual visitors. 

Our Bewick’s wren, a fairly rare visitor until it discovered the suet feeder a few weeks ago, entered the yard a couple of times to access our inverted suet feeder and I obtained several good photos. 

What got me into the yard in the first place, and kept me there in the cold, was a male Varied thrush that I kept seeing around the periphery of the yard. After well over an hour of waiting, my time in the cold was rewarded when the thrush approached and entered the nearest photographable water feature. I was able to take a multitude of photos of the bird at ‘point-blank’ range.  These birds will soon be heading back up to the mountains for the breeding season.

We’re still waiting for our first Rufous hummingbird to arrive. 

We’ll be winding down with our winter visitors in the next couple of months and looking forward to greeting our spring visitors.  Rufous hummingbirds should be arriving in the yard in the next couple of weeks.  In the first few days of March I’ve seen a Bald eagle and pair of Common ravens transporting nesting materials in the neighborhood.  

After several months of absence from the yard, we had at least two Pine siskins visit the yard on February 24, 2024.  I’ve observed them off and on since.  In some past years the siskins have been our most numerous visitors at times, but that hasn’t happened for several years now.  The siskins seem to come and go, sometimes with absences of several months at a time.  

We had two White-crowned sparrows visit the yard for one day (February 27, 2024).  One was an adult and the other apparently a first winter bird.  They had no apparent interaction.  This species is usually in the greater area year-round but we generally see a pair in the yard only during the mating season, and the pair that usually frequents our yard in the spring and summer quite often have their breeding efforts parasitized by Brown-headed cowbirds.    

We have had only infrequent visits recently by a single male Varied thrush, but on one occasion late in February we briefly had two in the yard.  

Also in mid-to-late February we had a Bewick’s wren visiting both our inverted suet feeder and a peanut feeder, an unusual occurrence for a bird that is primarily an insect easter.  

In early March I looked out our kitchen window to see three Anna’s hummingbirds briefly sitting on one of our hummingbird feeders at the same time!  

I’m always saddened and surprised by the handicaps I observe in some of our visitors.  On the injured reserve list… 

In late February we are still hosting the male Spotted towhee with the deformed (crossed) beak that I believe was the product of last year’s mating season.  

We have a male Dark-eyed Oregon junco with a lame right leg, and I recently spotted a female bird of the same species with a lame left leg. 

And I recently observed a Bushtit with a single leg hanging from our inverted suet feeder.  

On the afternoon of March 4, 2024, my wife went waking with a friend while I settled down for a nap to make up for a sleep deficit caused by our cat at 2am. I was just dropping off to sleep when my wife called and said there was a loon at our local marina. I didn’t have much hope of getting really good photos but grabbed my camera and headed down to the marina. 

When I arrived I immediately saw a Common loon in winter plumage and it was somewhat closer to the nearest dock than I had expected. I sat in the car for a couple of minutes to try to determine in which direction the loon was headed. It appeared like it could be headed to the dock below me, so I quickly headed down to the dock. The loon had dived so I used the opportunity to scurry down and stand beside a large pole in an attempt to disguise my outline/presence. I was looking around for the loon when it surfaced behind and very near me with its back turned, giving me the opportunity to quickly adjust my aim and camera settings without startling it. 

I was able to take several photos before the loon dove again, and I correctly guessed where it might resurface, giving me another opportunity for closeup photos. It dove again and this time surfaced on the other side of the dock much farther away and in a larger body of water. I realized at that point that my time with the loon was over. 

So this first photo was actually one of my last, but it matched my expectation of what I expected to obtain upon my arrival at the marina. 

These are some of the photos that I never expected to get!

I spent more time in the yard on February 18, 2024, prompted by a Golden-crowned kinglet (probably a female) flying down right beside me when I was filling birdbaths. The birds are difficult to photograph due to their activity level and the fact that they frequent two of our bird baths where photography is difficult. However this one (or another) came to this water feature later for a drink and I managed a few photos.

While on the subject of golden crowns, here are a couple of photos of Golden-crowned sparrows, of which we have a healthy population this winter.

Another bird which I find difficult to photograph is the Red-breasted nuthatch. We never seem to have more than one or two visiting the yard and they too usually shun the water features that lend themselves to photography.

Here are polxotos of a male Dark-eyed Oregon junco that has been a visitor for several months now. It has lost the function of one leg and ‘skitters’ along the ground rather than hopping. It occasionally uses its lame leg for balance; but doesn’t use it for hopping. You can see in the second photograph that the bird is resting on its stomach instead of being supported fully by its feet. It flies well and when I’m outside I try to see that the bird gets its share of food.

Another visitor of the past year is this male Spotted towhee that is usually around the yard. It has a crossed bill, much like a Red crossbill. I initially thought the bird might starve to death, but it seems to be existing quite well despite the handicap.

Here is a different male Spotted towhee without the handicap.