Chirps and Cheeps

On my lunch today, I followed a tip that there was a Western Tanager down in Irving, New York. The tanager was still there when I arrived and oh, was it a handsome fellow! The word is that this beautiful male bird has been frequenting a homeowner's suet feeder for 2 days now. I'm so glad I made the rainy drive down to see this guy. Normally, the Western Tanager is found in the western half of the United States, so this is a rare occurrence - and I'm sure one of my few chances to add this to my life list.

There were a few White-crowned Sparrows under the seed feeders too. This was the first time I've seen White-crowns this year, so that made for a double delight!  A pretty Purple Finch, some Cardinals, Chipping Sparrows, House Sparrows, a Red-winged Blackbird, and a couple of Brown-headed Cowbirds were at the feeders too.  It was a busy place - with a few other birders showing up too!