They're here!

In my weekly roundup of news about birds and the environment, I've reported here about the arrival of two of our three winter warblers, the Orange-crowned and the Yellow-rumped. What is odd about that is that usually the first of the three warblers to show up in my yard is the Pine Warbler, but so far this fall, I had not seen one there. Until this week.

Yep, they're here! I saw one at my feeders yesterday, so our complement of warblers is now complete.

Moreover, I had begun to wonder whether we were going to have any Rufous Hummingbirds wintering with us this year as we have had for the last three years. Several passed through earlier in the fall but they kept moving and it seemed like our winter this year might be hummer-free. But wait!

Sure enough, right on cue, a female Rufous has showed up at the Cape honeysuckle over the last few days and now she's visiting the feeders as well, so it looks like she might be staying.

Finally, I generally do not see Cedar Waxwings in my yard until late December, but this year they have arrived early. I've been hearing their voices around the neighborhood for a few days now.

This is a waxwing from a previous year. So far, they haven't come close enough for me to photograph this year.

It's wonderful to be able to greet these old friends. I look forward to having them brighten my days throughout the winter ahead.