Interesting to get back from a great "birding and naturalizing" trip May 10 to May 18 in SE Arizona and read about all the western tanager activity up here. My wife and I saw many more of them this year than ever before in SE AZ. We've birded the area six times during this approximate time period over the past 11 years. We would characterize western tanagers as being "abundant" ( not just "very common"). Last night when we arrived home (May 18), we counted at least 4 male WT's and numerous females chasing insects and feeding in a single 115 foot cottonwood tree on our 5 acre forested property in the foothills outside of Snohomish, WA, where they have been common summer residents and breeders in the tree canopy.

Some conclusions:

a)Westerns in SE AZ were abundant both in and way out of breeding habitat, which loudly suggests migratory activity. A western tanager population was moving through our western washington property at the same time.

b)Given that western tanagers were migrating north through SE AZ and through the Pacific Northwest during the same time, this suggests an active simultaneous western tanager band of migration spread out over at least 1300 statute miles this past weekend!

c)There are lots of western tanagers this year. Hepatic and summer tanagers were in very good numbers in SE AZ also.

Fun!

Darrell Smith
Principal Habitat Biologist
Surface Water Management Division
Snohomish County Dept. of Public Works
2731 Wetmore, Suite 300
Everett, WA 98201-3581
425.388.6497

mailto:darrell.smith at co.snohomish.wa.us