Spring Migration – April/early May

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I’m trying to keep detailed logs on spring migrants and rarities visiting the yard this spring. This includes not only logging visits but also documenting the visits with photographs when I can.  The volume of photos is overwhelming and I’m seriously behind on my processing.  I generally spend more time in the yard on overcast days because photographic conditions are better. The highest rate of arrivals seems to occur in mid-to-late afternoon which is generally more favorable lighting conditions for my photography.   

The early migrants beginning in late April were were Yellow-rumped warblers and Orange-crowned warblers.  They have now given way to (male) Wilson’s warblers.  

Male Yellow-rumped warbler (Audubon’s)
Female Yellow-rumped warbler
Orange-crowned warbler
Wilson’s warbler

Highlights of the migration thus far… 

  • Male Purple finch on April 19 -21, the first I have ever identified in the yard. 
  • Female Purple finch on May 10, a very rare visitor and my first really good photos of the female of the species. 
  • First seasonal arrival of a Black-headed grosbeak on May 8 with two visiting together the next day. (I have yet to see a female.) 
  • Arrival of a female Western tanager (no good photos) early in the migration and a male on May 7. 
  • A glimpse (and lousy photos) of a vireo (probably a warbling vireo) on May 6.
  • A single visit from a female Black-headed cowbird on April 21 and again on April 28.. On the latter date the female cowbird was happily bathing in the watercourse among the neighbors’ House sparrows. Two pairs visited the yard/platform feeder May 11.

On May 12 this male Brown-headed cowbird briefly visited the yard.  

  • On May 10, I had a visit from a small accipiter which, along with sun, shut down birding for most of the day. I obtained a photo of the raptor through three sets of fencing with no hope of identifying a specific species. 

There are still at least two to three weeks of migration left with the possibility of seeing other arrivals, but arrivals have tapered alarmingly over the past few days!  

I’ve had at least one pair of Bewick’s wrens visiting the yard on an almost hourly basis for the past month or so. 

A pair of  Black-capped chickadees seem to be using a birdhouse I had planned to scrap. 

None of my salvias are in bloom yet but the dominate Golden Chain tree in the front yard is in full bloom and has just begun shedding blossoms.