On September 10, 2018, we had dinner guests due at 5:30pm.  I was finishing up a salad in the kitchen as our guests arrived.  I glanced out the window and as I did so several birds flew out of the watercourse and scattered around the yard.  One that was slightly larger than most of the others caught my attention.  I grabbed my binoculars and after a brief study concluded that it was a female Western tanager, only the second one I had seen in the yard this season.

I apologized to our guests as I rushed for my camera and made a quick exit into the yard.  The bird had been preening and I had high hopes that it would return to the watercourse,  but of course that was not to be.  But as I sat waiting I managed to separate another bird out of the crowd based on its behavior.  I quickly determined the bird was a Warbling vireo, only the second appearance of one for the season.  (The prior appearance for one was at least two months previously.)

I watched as the vireo few all around the watercourse, periodically “dip-bathing” as is the vireos’ habit.  (Instead of standing in the water and bathing the vireos fly quickly into and out of the water, a habit shared by at least the White-eyed vireo I see in Texas.)  I managed to take at least a dozen photos, two of which I share with you now.

Just as I was ready to give up on the tanager I noticed a female House finch sitting atop the only cluster of ripe madrone berries in the yard.  I knew I needed to get back to our guests and only managed a few shots of the finch eating madrone berries, but the photos were taken hand-held with my camera without the aid of my monopod, so the quality wasn’t up to my usual standards.  But since the photo is somewhat interesting I’m including it here.