From 3/7/2019:  Bushtits are still coming to the suet and peanut feeders in large groups of 15-20 birds, but I’m also seeing a pair or two which have begun to pair for the breeding season.  Pictured below are a male and female.  I’ve addressed this previously… can you tell the difference?

From 3/8/2019:  This first photo is a Golden-crowned sparrow.  We have at least 4-5 that visit the yard on a daily basis.  I suppose that this is a female, but sex can be difficult to determine in the winter.  Males will soon begin developing a darker head and a brighter crown… just before they leave to breed further north.

One of the American robins discovered a worm on its way across the yard.  The robin gave the worm a few tugs but it didn’t seem to be able to extract the worm  from the ground.

From 3/8/2019:  I managed photos of two of the birds I find more difficult to photograph… this Red-breasted nuthatch, which I managed to photograph while it was waiting its turn on the suet feeder.

And I managed to photograph another difficult to photograph bird between its trips to the same suet feeder… a Bewick’s wren.  The wrens are typically moving quickly among the leaves at the bottoms of bushes and provide little opportunity for a clear, unobstructed photo.  .

From 3/9/2019:  My final two photos are of a pair of Varied thrushes, which I’ve had a difficult time photographing despite spending a considerable amount of time in the effort. These birds will spend a long length of time perched back in the leaves and watching the yard while I have to entertain myself trying to photograph some of the more common birds.  The female thrush is pictured first and the male below.

I was out again today (3/4/2019) to observe and photograph the Northern Mockingbird that’s here in Anacortes.  This makes five days in a row I’ve spent some time photographing the bird.  I’ve met lots of nice, understanding neighbors and fed treats to a few nice dogs.  But I think that it’s about time to say, “Enough!”.  So here are what may be the last of a lot of photos I’ve taken.

This first photo was taken today… and that’s my car on which the bird is perched!

Moving on, a couple of more mockingbird photos…

Moving back to the yard to a few days ago, this is a male Varied thrush that has been visiting the yard on a fairly regular basis.  Lately there have been three thrushes visiting the yard, at least one of which is a female.  During the winter the snow in the mountains interrupts the birds’ food supplies, so they migrate to lower elevations where food is more available.

On the way back to the house from photographing the mockingbird today, I again found Green-winged teals in the Cap Sante Marina.  They seem to be becoming more used to human presence and I managed better photos than in the past couple of weeks.  This is one of the males that is part of a small group.

While I was photographing waterfowl, this Yellow-rumped warbler (Audubon’s) flew into the area.  I’ve seen some rather large flocks of this species, numbering as many as about 20, in the marina area.

Back in the yard today I photographed this Song sparrow, one of two that have been in the yard lately.

And finally, this rather rare, but periodic visitor to the yard… a Townsend’s chipmunk.

Friday, March 2, is TEXAS Independence Day.  On this day in 1836 Texas declared its independence from Mexico and became the Republic of Texas! This independence was not secured until the Battle of San Jacinto which occurred on April 21, 1836.  In that battle a Mexican army under General Santa Anna was defeated and the general captured.  The general was induced to sign a peace treaty agreeing that the Mexican army would vacate the territory.

So why am I bringing this up on a birding site?  First of all, I’m at least a fifth generation Texan and that is where I lived for 50+ years before moving to Anacortes.

Second, the State bird of Texas is the Northern Mockingbird.  It’s normally found no further northwest than southwestern Oregon.  However, in honor of Texas Independence Day, we have an unscheduled appearance of a Northern mockingbird here in Anacortes.  Here, without further elaboration, is the Anacortes Northern mockingbird!  Enjoy!

Things had gone so well with my photo expedition the day before that on February 15, 2019, I decided to try to add to my success.  I again started on March Point Road and found that the couple of hundred Dunlin I had seen the previous day were now down to a much lower level… maybe 20-30.  However the remaining Dunlin were much more approachable on this day and I took more photos.

I found this Golden-crowned sparrow rustling through the leaves.

I found this Dark-eyed junco.  There are several ‘races’ of this species and this one doesn’t appear to be the usual Oregon race that is common in Skagit County.  It would appear to be closer to the Slate-colored species (if you follow this blog you may remember seeing photos of the one we have in our yard).  However it does have a patch of chestnut in the middle of its back and I would guess that it’s probably a hybrid of a Slate-colored junco and one of the other races.  (That’s just an uneducated guess!)

I had lost much of my light after leaving the house so I prematurely ended my excursion.  But not before finding a pair of Northern Shovelers dabbling in the slough at the F&W Headquarter Tract.

If you need dabbling lessons let me know!

Taking advantage of the post-snow period, I made yet another tour south, starting on March Point.  I’ve had a difficult time finding Dunlin this winter but encountered a couple of hundred on West March Point Road.  They weren’t at the water’s edge but standing in the snow beside the road.

Continuing south towards Fir Island I found this male Golden-crowned kinglet.  (You’ll have to take my word for the fact that this was a male, but I confirmed it with other photographs.)

Near the same location I found that American robins were still eating from the same tree from which I posted photos a couple of posts ago.

On Fir Island I found that the Black phoebe was still in the same location, fly-catching.  My patience paid off and I obtained what were probably my best photos of the bird.  I was at the F&W HQ Tract for over an hour and never saw another person or vehicle, which probably helped my photography!

While waiting for the phoebe to approach closer a male Gadwall approached, and probably provided me with some of my best Gadwall photos.  The feathers on this species are absolutely exquisite!

On the way back home across Fir Island I found this pair of Bald eagles which provided the opportunity for excellent photos.