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Spring 2012 Sightings

A newly fledged Anna's hummingbird resting in the sunlight, loudly peeping (for its mother?)  This variety of hummer is a common sight in the Pacific Northwest, but I'd never seen a baby before.  It stayed still long enough for me to run to the house for my Lumix and fire off several shots.  I turned to tend to my gardening tools for a second and that's when baby flew off.  Recently, a hummer showed up at the feeder with no clue as to where to put its beak.  It ignored the plastic flowers and kept trying to poke at the seam.  Then it tried some flowers but again was clueless as where the nectar was.  I wonder if it was this young one, still learning how to survive on its own?
 

Goldfinches, the official bird of the State of Washington.  I never saw any in Seattle but they come to our thistle feeder many times every day.  Last year we saw eight at once, not so many this year.
 

Lupine, rhododendron, traveling onion and blue star creeper with a background of dandelion studded lawn.

Sub and coast guard escort, heading toward Bremerton
Seen from our yard looking across Puget Sound 

 

Intruders!  The one on the right calmly began gobbling bird seed from the feeder.  Her left rear leg is deformed from a car accident two years ago.  We all feared for her demise, she was so badly wounded, but she survived and walks with just the slightest trace of  a limp.  She now has a tiny new fawn in tow

 

See the little knobs just starting to protrude?  I think this is her offspring from last year.
 

California quail on guard duty.  They were regular visitors all spring but I haven't seen them lately.  Maybe they are nesting!