May Yard Birds

This past week we have had the following visitors in our yard:

·         A male Western tanager taking advantage of the water features (twice);

·         two male Rufous hummingbirds sharing the same feeder;

·         two male Black-headed grosbeaks utilizing a hanging platform feeder;

·         a pair of Red crossbills using both the water features and sunflower seed feeders;

·         a Bewick's wren which may be using one of the nest boxes;

·         a male Downy woodpecker using one of the suet feeders;

·         a male Northern flicker using the suet feeders;

·         a male Red-winged blackbird which utilizes a hanging sunflower seed feeder only during breeding season;

·         an Orange-crowned warbler using a bird bath;

·         a Wilson's warbler using a bird bath;

·         a male Anna's hummingbird;

·         a pair of California quail (who, with a little luck will soon be bringing chicks to the yard); and

·         all of the more common birds that are usually found in the yard.

And late in the afternoon I wrote this (5/21/2011), I looked out my office window and saw a pair (two males?) of Evening grosbeaks on the hanging platform feeder!  This is a first occurrence of this species for our yard.  I rushed downstairs for my camera but just about the time I got it configured the grosbeaks left the yard.  I could rationalize that it’s overcast and late in the day but it’s still disappointing not being able to obtain a photo, even if it would have been with them on the feeder. 

With all the goldfinches in the yard it's somewhat difficult to pick out the special birds. It’s easy to overlook the less brightly colored warblers and the female crossbill among all the female goldfinches, and the male Western tanager resembles the male American goldfinch.  (Our male Western tanager's head lacks considerable color.)  I mainly single out the different species by their behaviors.  Yesterday I think I let the male crossbill escape because I thought that it was the male House finch that I had just photographed!