Hi Tweeters,



I'm new to the list and have just joined because I'm curious about all the
unusual birds I'm noticing in my yard today. I realize that it's migration
season, and I was away for a few days last week, but suddenly today I'm
seeing what is clearly a male Western Tanager (and possibly a female-I
didn't get a good enough look and it doesn't match any of the grosbeaks in
the field guide, which would have been my first choice), yellow-rumped
warblers, cowbirds (I think they've actually been around for a while because
I've heard them), pine siskins (I do get those in the winter, but not
usually so many at once), and some other birds that again I couldn't see for
long enough to identify (possibly a vireo or another kind of warbler, as
well as a bird the shape of a towhee with much the same color pattern, but
no white spots that I could see). Today has been overcast and drizzly,
whereas there was more sunshine over the weekend, and I realize as I think
about it that the crew that was digging up the road is not out there any
more, so maybe their noise was keeping them away. But is it normal for
there to be a day when a lot of new birds show up-some weather pattern that
brings them in or something?



Also, having been bowled over by the beauty of that western tanager, I can't
help wondering what I might do to encourage any of these birds to stick
around for a while. My neighborhood, above Lake Sammamish, is pretty
suburban, although there are stands of Douglas firs within sight (the ones
that were allowed to remain when the houses were built some decades ago are
gradually being taken down as they get too large or too scary in the
windstorms, or block someone's view of the lake), and my own yard has a
variety of shrubs and ground cover, as well as an artificial pond with
flowing water, which is clearly an attraction (even to a pair of mallards
that show up during the day sometimes in spring). My bird feeders are
limited to safflower seeds (to discourage squirrels-it really works) and
some suet cakes inside a cage (to discourage starlings). Would it be worth
putting out something else for the next few weeks, or are these birds really
just likely to be passing through for a day or so? As near as I can tell,
the tanager is nibbling on the flowers on the laurel hedge and the
neighbor's blooming cherry tree. Should I just be happy that nature is
providing something for it and enjoy it?



Barbara Miller, Bellevue, Washington, bmill07 at Comcast dot net.