I’m almost too embarrassed to report that we had a new yard bird species this past week.  I was in the yard late in the afternoon when first one, and then a second, Eurasion Collared dove appeared.  I had seen the birds on Samish Island several times in the past but this was the first time I had seen them on Cap Sante.  Once I saw the doves I raced for my camera but never had the opportunity to photograph one.  Owing to the bird traffic in the yard I felt sure that they would return but I haven’t seen them since.  A birding friend who I encountered on Sunday mentioned to me that she had them in her yard and that their vocalizations were ‘driving her crazy’.  So maybe it’s a good thing that the doves haven’t returned. 

Moving out of the yard briefly, I have discovered what I think is probably the largest concentration of Red elderberry bushes on Fidalgo Island.  A couple of weeks ago I visited the location to try to photograph all the birds they would attract (especially American robins and Black-headed grosbeaks) but was disappointed in that the berries were very plump and red but there were no birds eating them.  Visitors and a back problem kept me away for about a week and when I returned at the end of last week… virtually all of the berries had already been consumed!  What a disappointment!  I’ll now put a reminder on my calendar and return next year, hoping to monitor the situation a little more closely. 

I note that the Oregon grape in the yard is full of berries that appear ripe and if history repeats itself we’ll have two to four American robins that will move into the yard and eat them all in just a couple of days. 

The House wrens nesting in a box over our south patio are still with us but I expect the young to fledge any day now. 

And on the wildlife front, this weekend I spied a rather large rat emerging from our brush pile where the birds like to congregate.  It will join the list of rodents that have included the Eastern Gray squirrels and rarer Douglas squirrels and chipmunks.  Hopefully it will be taken care of by a coyote, owl or one of the cats that roam the neighborhood. 

I was able to spend more time in the yard last week so I’ll provide a few images I captured…

A female Rufous hummingbird accessing out crocosmia...

 

I photographed this Rufous hummingbird sitting on a madrona branch in the yard.  Upon closer examination, I think this is probably a juvenile male Rufous hummingbird due to its coloring.  As I stated in a previous post, the adult Rufous males have been gone for several weeks.  

While in the yard this Turkey vulture soared overhead.  One of these nice days I need to just recline on my back on our patio or parking pad and photograph what flies overhead! 

 

Finally, while in the neighborhood late one afternoon I photographed this Pelagic cormorant (identifiable at this time of year by the white patch just behind the wing) returning to its roost.  The cormorants' flight paths are interesting and I'll try to write more about that subject at some future time, but this one is traveling around the island and just over the water.