Yellow-rumped Warbler

Ah, I do love spring and summer when the birds come to visit.  I used to live in Phoenix, Oregon right on a migration pathway.    I put out a feeder and they came by the droves.  I'd never seen so many different species of birds, I was in heaven.

Unfortunately, while I lived in the beautiful country, there was a creek in front of the house and an irrigation ditch behind the house.  If you have water, you have an other creature close by called a rat.  Now, birds are messy eaters. VERY messy eaters.  So, put messy eaters between two water sources and you get an explosion of, yeah, rats.

I removed the feeders, cleaned up the mess, trapped and yes poisoned the rats and sat back and watched a lot fewer birds come to visit, but at least the rats were gone.  This time, NO, I repeat NO bird feeders, even though there is no close by water source.

Here, in central Oregon what we have is lots of a different kind of rodent, lots of squirrels and field mice.  Well, they say if you have mice, you don't have rats and vice versa.  On the other hand, in my mind, a squirrel is just a rat with a bushy tail.  People actually put feeders out for the little destructive bandits.  Near by are some homes with both bird and squirrel feeders.  I'm sorry, they're NUTS!

I had two feral cats living here for several years.  The last one died last year.  I can sure tell she's gone.  She was one great mouser.  The squirrels and mice were nearly non existent while she was here.  Geez, with in a week of her being gone they move in by the droves.  Ground squirrels, grey squirrels, mice, every where.  Oh, and birds, the birds moved in too.

The birds I enjoy.  No feeder, but a bird bath.  It's hot here in the summer and the river is several miles away and the creeks long dried up.  So, the birds do appreciate the bird bath.  I don't mind them making a mess with the water, that's okay.  LOL.

So any way, while the cat was here, I would just get a glimpse of this small bird with yellow markings.  Always suspect it was a Yellow-rumped Warbler but never got a good look.  Now however, they are coming in to the bird bath and it is a REALLY colorful male Yellow-rumped Warbler.  A female comes in too, but he is so bright and beautiful.

I'm trying to get a picture, no luck so far.  I'll be ready tomorrow, I hope.