My benchmark bird is the Western Tanager. One hot summer day in 1996 (when I
was 6 years old) we were sitting on the deck in our yard when this vibrant
yellow bird with a beautiful orange/red head and black wings flew down from
the trees and into our birdbath. Then a drab, but still pretty, green bird
flew right next to it. My mom bought us a Peterson's Field Guide the next day
and we identified the birds as a male and female Western Tanager. That really
sparked it for me! Every summer we still enjoy Western Tanagers visiting our
yard.

Visit my birding website at:
http://hometown.aol.com/birdking88/index.html

Birdking88 at aol.com
Charlie W. Wright
Sumner, WA
Age 11