Seven!

I don’t usually do “this is my backyard” posts here, but we have an extraordinary occurrence.

About two weeks ago, four male western tanagers showed up at my birdfeeding station. This is not extraordinary. They are migrating. Some stay around the neighborhood, others continue to migrate up the mountains or north to Colorado.

They are gorgeous birds. The four stuck around and are still here this week – usually they are gone in a day or so. Two females have arrived, and this afternoon I counted SEVEN males.

I don’t know what’s happening. Several years back, the migration was stopped by snowstorms in Colorado, but that was only for a few days, and seven is more than I saw at one time even then. Bird populations can vary widely. I hardly ever see red-breasted nuthatches, but some years they are everywhere. I’ve put out a “suet” cake (actually a blend of nuts and fats) that they are devouring. Water isn’t scarce, because we’ve had rain on and off these two weeks.

Nice to see that these guys seem to be doing well.