Rogue's Gallery of the Yard

Thanks to the improved weather I've been able to spend more time in the yard as of late.  This has increased my photographic opportunities but at the same time I'm still waiting for some interesting birds to happen by.  And while I wait I have to contend with the following birds which I personally consider undesirable:

One of many female House sparrows that frequent the yard...

A male House sparrow, consort of the female House sparrow although I almost never can get both in the same photograph.   The House sparrows are the real chow hounds that increase my seed costs.

A male European starling.  I don't have much of a problem with the starlings until this time of year, and my problems increase exponentially once the young starlings fledge.  The parents bring their young to the yard to utilize our suet feeders.  For several years now I've used the inverted suet feeders exclusively which initially reduced the starlings' predations, but in time they learned how to access the suet feeders.  They aren't clinging birds, but they manage to hang on long enough to dislodge suet which falls to the ground and when they can't hang onto the feeder any longer they retire to the ground to eat what they have broken off.  My latest effort uses wires hanging from the underside of the feeder to interfere with the starlings' wings which they flap constantly trying to hang onto the feeder.  While it helps with the problem somewhat, it's certainly not a cure. 

Rock pigeons I've inherited from neighbors...

 And finally, one of the bright spots in the yard... a male Black-headed grosbeak.  Although I heard them several days prior to seeing them in the yard, the first one appeared on Saturday,  May 12.  By that evening I had two males on the feeder at the same time.  I break one of my feeder rules for these birds and put out a hanging platform feeder with a handful or two of sunflower seeds in the hulls... which they seem to prefer. 

And on Sunday, May 13, while showing off the grosbeaks to visitors, I saw our first Western tanager in the yard.  It can't be attracted by seeds but it is interested in the other birds and water sources so I'm hoping we'll have one in the yard from time to time. 

Other birds of note over the past couple of weeks:  an Orange-crowned warbler, a Yellow-rumped (Audubon's) warbler and also on Sunday... two widely-separated passes by a Peregrine falcon.