Dear Tweeters,

Last spring, somehow I missed seeing any Townsend's Solitaires. There was a good flight of them in April, and some observers reported?flocks of?about ten of them, but they were never there when I showed?up.?I sometimes get one in my yard, at the holly tree, but not this year. After I had missed them in April, I made special efforts in?spring and summer?to find them in places where I'd seen them before, such as Concrete Airport, Jackman Creek Road, and Cutthroat Pass--no dice.

So today--11 December 2013-- I was teaching my class at Lyman Elementary School, and I saw something out of the corner of my eye. A Townsend's Solitaire flew across the gravel parking area and landed on the hood of my car, which was parked just outside the classroom window. I told the students to sneak over to the window, and the whole class got to see?the bird.?Then?it flew to the wire across the street and perched for a good five minutes, before disappearing. Yay!

Yours truly,

Gary Bletsch