The Big Yard: Notes from a Pajama Birdwatcher

February 20, 2025

This morning, half a dozen Anna’s hummingbirds flurry the feeders. Numbers are up. When the resident magnificent Rivoli’s barrels in, the smaller birds scatter into the budding chokecherry. But size doesn’t matter…necessarily.

I’m reminded of this a bit later when the first rufous hummingbird of the season flushes the feeders. The male—all fire and verve—just streaked in from the southern Mexico coast and he already owns the place.

It’s begun. The rufous, on his way to British Columbia or southern Alaska where he will breed, heads a migratory wave of birds through the yard—not just other rufous but a dozen species of hummingbirds along with the spring denizens of warblers and vireos, flycatchers and swallows, tanagers and orioles and grosbeaks. It’s my favorite time of year.

Our first Rufous Hummingbird of the year—one day earlier than last year.

I’m ever hopeful for another appearance of a rare and stunning Flame-colored Tanager. Or even an astonishing Yellow Grosbeak (below) that always draws the crowds of birdwatchers.

Or perhaps another first Arizona state record like this Orange-billed Nightingale Thrush from June 2022. Anything is possible!

One migrant I’ll be paying more attention to. As I write, crews from Arizona Public Service (APS) will remove the power pole where elf owls have nested every spring for the 16 years we’ve lived here. They dug the hole on Tuesday. With dismay, I watched the men in their biohazard-orange vests with their backhoe from my study window.

I understand the issue. The danger of downed lines, exploding transformers, and fire—a real threat in our wildfire-prone canyon. But, after I advocated for the owls last year, I thought the company had given the tiny owls a reprieve. Or at least that APS might relocate the lines to a new pole and leave the old one in place for the birds. Nope. The pole must come down.

The foreman promised to leave me the section with the nest holes.

An Elf Owl at the nest site.

My amazing neighbors went to work in their workshop to create nestboxes for the Elf Owls after we learned of the power pole removal. As you can see, it was a success! The boxes await their return at the end of March.

Thanks for supporting the Big Yard! I’m off for a few days of backpacking in the Grand Canyon with the youngest daughter and son-in-law. There will be birds! Watch for my report!