Good morning, Tweets:

We have had a pair of Bullock's Orioles sipping nectar from our "Red Hot
Pokers" for about a week now. We've managed to get so many photos, that now
when they arrive, we simply enjoy watching them. Two days ago, however, a
yellowish bird, which at first glance I thought to be the female Oriole,
turned out to be an entirely different one. I quickly snapped some photos and
had them developed. In the photos, the bird is sitting on top of a bright
red-orange colored poker, which may or may not be reflected in his throat and
chest. Also, the sun is intensely bright, at places shining through the
feathers giving them a white appearance. This is especially true regarding
the tail.

Here are the IDing details:

Bill: conical, light, short & stubby
Throat & Chest: Yellow below bill, turning yellowish-red at chest
Head: Small yellow-reddish patches just above and on both sides of the bill,
then darker crown patch
Sides & wings: light, yellow-ish streaked grayish or brown,
Size: 6-8 inches? Hard to tell, but my memory says smaller than a robin,
oriole, larger than American & house finches.
Habitat: Observed on poker bloom in our backyard, which also has coniferous
and broadleaf trees, wetlands & marshes on the lake just beyond the yard.

I've checked in numerous books, and while I can narrow it down, I can't nail
it down. So, I would appreciate your comments, questions and opinions.

Thank you.

Linda Davey
Sammamish, WA
LDavey at aol.com