For a little over a week now I’ve been getting a trickle of fall migrants. The fall migration through my yard is never as abundant as the spring migration, but it’s nevertheless interesting because it breaks the relative boredom of summer. I’m also still getting significant numbers of juvenile birds which can make my assignment of sex to my photos difficult as the juveniles of some species can appear to be adult females.

This post was spurred by two sightings of two or more male Townsend’s warblers on August 16, 2025. The first sighting occurred at 1:30pm and the second at 5:40pm. Although both sightings were males, I have no way of knowing whether or not it was the same bird. Since I usually only get about one or two sighting of this species each year, to get two sightings, both with photos, on the same day, was significant.

Since late July, and up until just a few days ago, I’ve had dayly visits from Black-headed grosbeaks that I suspect are juveniles. Adults were notably absent during the breeding season.

The migration seemed to really get underway on August 2 when I had multiple visits from one or more Wilson’s warblers.

On August 3 I had a visit from a MacGillivray’s warbler. This bird is so rare in my yard that I’ve only had two or three recorded visits in the 17 years I’ve lived here. Fortunately, I was outside with my camera for the bird’s visit and it spent significant time around the watercourse!

On August 10 I had a visit from a female Western tanager. They are generally around all summer but are rare visitors to my yard.

August 12 brought a visit from another Wilson’s warbler and a photo that I’ll probably add to my framed canvass prints! (It isn’t either of these images.) On the same day I had visit from a camera-shy Orange-crowned warbler that I was ;unable to photograph.

A complication was introduced to my photography efforts on August 14 when an accipiter, almost certainly a Cooper’s hawk, flew into trees on the outskirts of the yard and remained there for an unusual amount of time. I obtained a couple of “record” photographs but nothing worth posting.

I spent a relatively short time in the yard late in the afternoon of August 8, 2025. I had a Black-headed grosbeak enter the yard and I probably got my best photos of the species this year. This bird, and others that have visited lately, are probably juveniles.

I also had a Rufous hummingbird stop for a rare bath. A couple of years ago this used to be a regular occurrence but for this past two years bathing in the watercourse has been vey rare.

And finally, a Brown creeper, a regular visitor, stopped by for a bath at its favorite water feature, a stone bird bath.

After having a stellar yard birding day the previous day, on Sunday, August 3, 2025, I was looking forward to the possibility of another such day. Again, the temperature was in the low 60’s and the day was overcast. 

I arrived in the yard a little after noon and was occupied with some other task when I looked up to see a Black-headed grosbeak prominently perched on one of my staging sticks. I wasn’t fully prepared for photography and the bird flew before I could get a photo. 

A juvenile Brown-headed cowbird accessed the stone bird bath feature but was too far away for a good photo. It seemed rather late for the juvenile cowbird. I hadn’t seen any in a couple of weeks. 

I noticed another bird at the stone birdbath and thought at first it was a juvenile sparrow, but looking through my telephoto lens I could see that it was a thrush…  I was hopeful that it was a rarer thrush, but after seeing my photos I decided it was an unusually shy American robin.  

Next I was surprised by a Townsend’s chipmunk which popped up on the opposite side of the watercourse and stood on its hind legs long enough for me to get good photos. Other than the leucistic chipmunk I had seen in the yard the previous day, this was the first chipmunk I’ve seen in the yard this year. 

As I sat surveying the yard I was surprised to see a bird emerge from under the evergreen huckleberry tree immediately adjacent to the watercourse. My first impression, due to the prominent white eye rings, was that the bird was a vireo.  (Birders may have a difficult time understanding this, but my primary objective is insuring that I get one or more good photographs… I’ll identify the bird later!). The bird was hesitant in approaching the watercourse, which gave me numerous opportunities for photographs. 

As I realized I had numerous good photographs I began to look at the bird with the objective of identifying it. The split eye rings and contrast between the head and body jogged an old memory… the bird was a juvenile MacGillivray’s warbler, perhaps the second rarest warbler I’ve had in the yard and one for which I may lack any good photos. 

To a great extent the eruption of Pine siskins I had in late spring and early summer are gone, with the species now a somewhat rarity in the yard. 

I was fortunate to host an influx of Red crossbills  for most of the summer, but now have not seen one in the past two days despite significant observation time. Most of the crossbills were juveniles and lacked the color of adults, and most of the adults were more drab than I had seen in the past. 

Waking from my morning nap (about 11am), which now has become something of a ritual, I decided to spend a little time outside photographing birds. The temperature was in the low 60s and the sky overcast so conditions were perfect for birding photography. 

My first task was to fill the small platform feeder with the peanut/hulled sunflower mixture I use. Both species of chickadees (Black-capped and Chestnut-backed) were waiting around the feeder and I enticed one, and it another, to take food from the small container I was holding. 

Next I began washing debris from the bird baths. As I was finishing my task I flushed a single bird from the watercourse. It appeared to be a House sparrow but had flown to a tree not frequented by the sparrows. As I was straining for a better look for identification purposes the bird flew back down by the watercourse and I realized it was a juvenile vireo!  

I lost no time in entering the house for my camera!  Upon my return to the yard I was greeted not by the vireo but by the sight of a bright yellow warbler!  I immediately began trying to photograph it and while I was focused on the warbler the vireo returned! 

The warbler left the yard too soon, but I was hopeful I got enough good photos for an identification. I later identified the bird as a Wilson’s warbler and it was my first of four sightings of the bird/species during the day!

The vireo was extremely active but I managed to get some good photos.  Later, after a little research I concluded that the vireo must have been a juvenile Warbling vireo.

I resumed my bird bath servicing activities when a Rufous hummingbird flew up and wanted to flirt with the small jet stream coming from the hose nozzle. It “rode” the stream back towards me with its feet dangling in the water. It next flew to the far side of the bird bath I was filling and basked in the spray and waves that resulted from my filling of the bird bath… until a miscalculation on my part knocked it off the edge of the birdbath!  

At this point I had an influx of House sparrows which were annoying in that they made it more difficult to identify rarities and they occasionally discouraged other birds from using the water features. 

At 12:25pm the warbler (or a different one) returned to the yard, proving more opportunities for photos!  About five minutes later I noticed two juvenile Golden-crowned kinglets beside me, interested in accessing water features. The kinglets remained in the yard off and on for most of the afternoon, giving me lots of opportunities for photos. 

At 12:50pm I looked up to see two Brown creepers visiting the stone bird bath, their favorite. Then both the creepers and the kinglets were in the yard at the same time, and I was having a difficult time trying to decide which to photograph!  

I was talking to a friend about 1:30pm when a leucistic Townsend’s chipmunk made an appearance in the brush pile in the front yard.  I had one in the yard for several days a year ago and then again about a week ago (July 25, 2025).  The chipmunk remained in the brush and gave me little opportunity for photographs.  I have no way of knowing if this is a single animal that has miraculously survived for over a year or if there is more than one in the neighborhood.   

At 2:05pm I had another Wilson’s warbler enter the yard and was able to obtain more photos.  

I occasionally see a Bewick’s wren in the yard but it almost always is on the yard’s outskirts and keeps to the brush so that it is almost impossible to photograph.  At 2:10 pm I looked up up see one fully exposed at the water feature nearest me and I was able to get a couple of quick photos before it left.  

In between all the special visitors I’ve documented here, I passed the time taking photos of all my regular visitors. I had been in the yard for almost four hours, afraid to leave because of the wealth of relatively rare visitors.  I had taken 420 photos and after processing retained 183.