I’ve been anxiously awaiting spring migration arrivals that began in May in past years, but have been disappointed in what I’ve seen thus far. 

I’m getting sporadic sightings of Rufous hummingbirds but the Anna’s hummingbirds are more frequent, reliable visitors. This Rufous is feeding from blossoms on my Evergreen huckleberry bush.

I would normally have a dozen or more American goldfinches visiting by now but I only have two pair at most. While these birds are in the greater area year-round, they are only regular visitors to my yard in the spring and summer. 

I’ve had a few sightings of warblers (Orange-crowned and male Yellow-rumped Audubon’s) but I’m only having one or two sightings per day, and some days I have none. 

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On two different days I’ve had what I believe to be a female Red  crossbill briefly visit the yard but have thus far been unable to obtain photos of the bird. While I would have liked to have better observations or photos for identification, at the time of both observations my Merlin app (available for free from Cornell Lab) confirmed crossbills were in the vicinity. 

I’ve had a single, very young Douglas squirrel in the yard for several days. It made its debut by rushing from bushes directly in front of me and taking a flying leap… directly into my watercourse’s pond!  I was afraid I was going to have to resurrect my old lifesaving skills, but it managed to struggle back to land on its own. 

Meanwhile, out of the yard, on my morning walk in WA Park on May 7, upon arriving I decided to investigate tapping I heard and found a male Pileated woodpecker working on a  cedar tree… less than 15 feet away and only about four feet above the ground!  My only camera was an iPhone but I managed a couple of photos before the bird flew. 

Quite frankly, I’m concerned about the species and numbers of spring migrants I’m seeing in my yard thus far.