The season has begun

Fall is here and the migrating warblers have arrived in our backyard. More accomplished birders have been reporting their arrival for a few weeks, but we dilettantes have only begun seeing them this week. Several warbler species migrate here each fall from their breeding grounds in the northern coniferous forests. Many stay through the winter, while others continue south into Mexico and beyond. The three species shown below are frequent visitors to our backyard.

A male Townsend’s Warbler searches the underside of a limb for insects. These gorgeous birds spend a lot of time at our suet feeders. They’re surprisingly tame.

The Yellow-rumped Warbler (I think this is a female) is the most common warbler throughout much of the US. In addition to our backyard, we often see them on our beach walks feasting on kelp flies.

An Orange-crowned Warbler at one of the several suet feeders Marla keeps in our yard. These plain little birds (the orange crown is inconspicuous, and often absent altogether) are considerably less common here than the Townsend’s or Yellow-rumped, so we’re always pleased when one makes an appearance.

Here’s the Townsend’s right side up.