Hi folks,

I'm not sure how notable this is, but this morning just before 7 am (July 25) I was pleased to encounter a calling, singing Western Tanager in the trees behind my house here in Maple Leaf. He called his cri-dink! call for perhaps 15 minutes, and occasionally sang softly. Maybe they nest along Thornton Creek somewhere...? I've never witnessed one in the yard outside of spring migration, and I'd think this is a bit early for fall migration on a Western Tanager's calendar. Perhaps I should hang laundry this early more often.

Alyssa Sampson
Maple Leaf
Seattle
alyssasampson at comcast.net