From our kitchen window, we have a great view of our neighbor’s loquat tree . . . and its visitors.

This morning I spent about fifteen minutes watching a Ruby-crowned Kinglet frenetically glean insects from a tree deep in shade in the woods behind our house. Unsuccessful at photographing it, I took two quick breaks to take pictures of these more obliging birds:

The latest bird to discover my neighbor’s loquat tree:

On my jog early this morning, I spotted a Barred Owl perched on a power line. An hour or so later, here were the early birds at the edge of our back yard:

And, most satisfying of these three, the Orange-crowned Warbler, in my neighbor’s loquat tree :

Later in the morning, a Baltimore Oriole partook of the loquat tree:

Toward noon, there was a lot more bird activity.

Ad despite its name, this bird isn’t so common in our back yard. Happily.

A Yellow-throated Warbler showed up at the suet feeder this morning–it’s so hard to get a shot of it away from the feeder! House Finches were at the sunflower chip feeder. Red-bellied Woodpeckers were after the peanuts and the cylinder nut feeder. Here’s a shot of the female:

Also this morning another woodpecker showed up, an uncommon visitor to the woods behind our house:

A Brown Thrasher made an appearance:

And so did a Yellow-rumped Warbler:

Around noon, the bird activity increased. Here’s a female Northern Cardinal:

I spotted the Wilson’s Warbler again, but could not train my lens on it. I took this picture as a consolation prize:

Finally, I’ll note that my day began and ended by spotting birds I could not photograph. This morning while I was doing dishes, I spotted an Orange-crowned Warbler on my neighbor’s loquat tree. And this evening, at dusk, a Hermit Thrush showed up at the bubbler for a bath.

While keeping my eyes peeled for the Wilson’s Warbler, I had fun watching a pair of Carolina Chickadees. Here’s one:

Daily shot of a Cedar Waxwing in the East Palatka Holly:

Here’s one of the winter holidays’ most emblematic birds, which happens to be a common bird in our back yard:

Here’s another very common bird in our back yard:

And here’s an uncommon bird in our back yard:

The Cedar Waxwings were back on my neighbor’s East Palatka Holly:

And high above it all, a Pileated Woodpecker:

I caught sight of the Wilson’s Warbler again today, but the shots I managed were even crummier than the ones yesterday.

These days when I look out the window, the bird I’m most likely to see is a Yellow-rumped Warbler:

In the last few days, however, I’ve glimpsed another bird, with a lot more yellow, in the woods behind our house. Today I was able to take a diagnostic shot:

It’s a Wilson’s Warbler, a bird seldom seen in Duval County. It’s a fast-moving bird that doesn’t come to the feeders or to the bubbler. A small warbler, it’s just a smidge bigger than a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, which I also spotted today:

Unlike in past years, I haven’t seen the Ruby-crowned Kinglet at the feeders–particularly the cylinder nut feeder. A week or so ago, I spotted a Hermit Thrush at the bubbler, but it’s made itself scarce since then. No sighting yet this season of an Orange-crowned Warbler, which usually is one of our back yard’s winter guests.

An Eastern Phoebe checks out our back yard:

This morning I saw a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and a a Yellow-rumped Warbler in my neighbor’s East Palatka Holly. Here’s the latter on my neighbor’s loquat tree: