Before I get back to the yard I want to mention a quick, raptor count at 55mph in drizzle and declining light.  Late (with regard to available light) Monday afternoon my wife and I were returning from Costco and we decided to count raptors on the way home.  We began with the one often perched above the I-5 overpass and were up to nine by the time we reached the Memorial Highway intersection.  By the Swinomish Bridge our tally stood at 13, all presumably Red-tailed hawks.  They’re back!

I’ve ignored the yard from a photography standpoint for the past couple of weeks in favor of expeditions to nearby areas, chiefly March Point.  On Monday, October 26, 2015, I decided to spend some time in the yard… some of the results appear below…

First up, a male Anna’s hummingbird that will presumably be spending the winter with us.  We also have at least one female around the yard.

This is the first Fox sparrow we’ve seen in the yard this season.  We usually only have one, so this is it.

This (apparently) female Ruby-crowned kinglet is a welcome winter visitor.  They were absent all summer but have now returned.  We usually have more Golden-crowned kinglets but I didn’t see a single one Tuesday.

We had quite a few American robins around the yard but little group use of the watercourse until after I had left the yard.

Here’s a handsome male House sparrow which would be a lot more welcome if they weren’t so gregarious.

As in…

And finally, a photo of the bird that perhaps photographs better than all the rest… a Dark-eyed junco of the Oregon race.  The feather detail is absolutely amazing!  For about the eighth or ninth year in a row we also have one of the Slate-colored race, and it made a brief appearance during the day.