Spring migrates to Ridgefield in flashes of yellow. Yellow heads, yellow throats, yellow rumps. Yellow-headed blackbirds, common yellowthroats, yellow-rumped warblers. Plus the goldfinches which wintered here are back in breeding form in their splendid yellow coats.

I like to spend every spare moment at Ridgefield during the spring, at least on cloudy or rainy days, but this morning I deliberately slept in. A long week left me run down by the end and I knew better than to push too hard. After doing yardwork during the day and then taking Ellie up to the dog park for some extra playtime, I checked the weather maps late in the afternoon and saw the rain rolling in fast so I packed the car and headed up to Ridgefield.

I was especially hoping to see western tanagers as I saw one at work this week, but I didn’t see many migrants today. Not to worry, the bitterns and ruddy ducks kept me entertained. I had better luck with the migrants last week, including this male yellow-rumped warbler (Audubon’s) flitting about the cattails of South Quigley Lake, showing off all his yellow patches save the one for which he’s named.

Tomorrow promises rain so it’s a good candidate for an all-day Ridgefield jaunt. We’ll see if my 5 a.m. self agrees. On that note, it’s time for bed.