We hope your Spring is finally starting to pop. Ours is still trying to make up its mind. One day it is near 80 and the next it is in the 50s! And they call the wind “Annoying” here. But that wind has brought some newcomers to the Rancho. (Sorry I missed the March & April postings. We’ve been quite busy.)Here are some of the recent arrivals:
Week of April 1st – A new sparrow showed up. He has a brown spotted
back
with a streaky breast and two gray stripes on his head. I looked through all four of my field guides and could not be definite about its ID. The closest I came was either a Song Sparrow or Savannah Sparrow. Still not really sure, but I did get lots of pictures. What do you think?
April 15 – We expected the hummers to arrive early here at the Rancho because they were seen up in the heights areas since mid-March but no such luck. Our 1st Black-chinned male arrived on schedule as he does every year. He usually is here for about a week establishing territory before anyone else shows up.
April 16 – The 2nd Black-chinned male arrived! This is unusual. Also there were a pair of Pine Siskins on the thistle feeder. They seemed very hungry after a long flight.
April 17 – Then came the White-crowned Sparrows, yes plural. There were at least 5 who showed up for the sundown feasting. Usually we only see about two here. We are indeed very blessed this year with multiples of species arriving. Also, there are a few more Hummers buzzing around here.
April 19 – Well, a rare visit today from a Hairy Woodpecker! We have had these before but not every year. Thank goodness I have a good camera now to capture the proof of all the new and rare visitors!
April 22, Earth Day – Today I planted my whiskey barrels with seeds for hummingbird and butterfly flowers, along with a wildflower mix. I must keep them watered everyday because the terrible winds are drying everything out. We must refill our birdbath and water dishes about 2-3 times a day now. I also noted that our Western Kingbirds are here. They have a delightful song. The Hummer population has exploded. We now have four feeders up and the wars have begun!
Update on Hobbles – Our injured Crow is still recovering in the pine tree. We determined that it is 
a female and we call her “Hobbles” for obvious reasons. We have been putting out birdseed and cracked corn for her. She spends most of her time high up (about 15 feet or so) in a Ponderosa Pine in the front yard. There is a nest in that area that our resident Robins have used for the past few years but not this year. They had to find another place since Hobbles has taken up residence. We have watched her walk- or, hobble - around the yard looking for seeds under the feeders and getting drinks of water at the ground bowls.
She also does the most amazing thing. She actually climbs up the trunk of our big Cottonwood tree and then hops up the branches to a place near the top. This is another of her resting places. She climbs using short hops and grabbing the bark with her claws. You would really need to see it to believe. Unfortunately I have yet to capture this on video.
Her wing seems to be getting stronger. She will do short flights between the trees and the roof. As long as we watch out for her we are confident she will make a full recovery. We are not exactly sure how she was injured but think maybe she had a run-in with a hawk.
May 4th - Today the first Green-tailed Towhees arrived. They haven’t been here for a few years but they are back now. This is turning into a great year for birds. We are not only getting the return of old visitors but in greater numbers than before.
Other Visitors: 
This is a Great-tailed Grackle visiting our birdbath. The tail is so beautiful in flight, like a big fan. The Grackles come here in the evening to roost for the night. We love to listen to their songs and funny sounds.
Have you ever noticed the beautiful blue eye-ring of a White-winged Dove? I think it is a truly stunning color!
Ladderbacked Woodpecker.
This is a photo of the rarely seen Osprey that can be spotted in the sky around here.
Stay tuned for more photos of rare and unusual things at the Rancho. :-)
We had been putting out food scraps on a log at the bottom of the cottonwood tree that Hobbles climbed up. She would watch us put them there and come down to get them as soon as we went inside. ( I never did capture that on video.) On Wed 5/21, we noticed that the scraps from the night before were still there. We looked around but could not locate her in any of the trees or usual places she would hang out in the yard. Again, on Thurs 5/22, we could not find her. We kept watch for a couple more days, then we decided that she must have recovered and flew off to join her companions. She didn't even say "goodbye" but we believe she will return later to her temporary home.
