Fence Lizard

*eBird report frequency for the Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus), by month. 3.5 grams, 6000 miles.

faces Labyrinth Canyon, Green River Utah

Old Mud Island. Green River, Canyonlands NP, Utah

Western Screech Owl Megascops kennicottii Millard Bottom, Canyonlands NP Utah There is no better way to spend a week of your life than to canoe down the Green River near Moab, Utah.

Anna's Hummingbirds have only been reported breeding in the northwest since the late 70's, but are already a common urban and suburban bird from Portland to Vancouver, BC. There are three fighting over the feeders in my Seattle garden as I write this. Seattle Audubon started volunteer-led avian point-counts in city parks in 1994, and last year they brought me in to help with data analysis. One thing we found was that Anna's Hummingbirds are doing really, really well in Seattle - something like a 40% increase in the last 10 years. (You can read more about our findings here.) Invasive species plantings, urban development, and climate change are not usually positive things for local biodiversity, but they're probably the reasons we get Anna's Hummingbirds year-round in Seattle now. So it goes. Calypte anna

on/off Anna's hummingbird Calypte anna Seattle, WA

Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum Loop Creek, Idaho

Best park? Forest Park Portland, Oregon

common yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas

blue-throated hummingbird Lampornis clemenciae 11,000', Sierra Madre Oriental near Zaragoza, Nuevo León, MX

Common yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas Peeking out. Snoqualmie River, WA.

Anna's hummingbird (Calypte anna) preening. Seattle, WA.

Late March and the song sparrows are getting territorial on the Puget Sound lowlands. This guy had a few invaders: a bewick's wren to sing at frantically, savannah sparrows perching unnacceptable close to his clump of blackberry, Anna's hummingbirds and chestnut-backed chickadees flitting around not respecting anyone's spot like they just own all the trees and the shrubs and everything WTF. Now who's this asshole? Song sparrow Melospiza melodia Seattle, WA.

snow geese Skagit, WA

long-eared owl Asio otus Skagit, WA

short-eared owl lost her vole to a harrier. Skagit, WA. January

broadman lake