Piranga ludoviciana

A Western Tanager has been in town for almost a week. I got to see him yesterday morning. Even more exciting, the bird called before coming out into the open! Not a call I know in these parts.
The bird has been faithfully returning to these sapsucker holes in a yew. He’s picking up insects that stick to the sap.
A long-distant migrant, from way up in western Canada to way down into Central America, Piranga ludoviciana occasionally ends up as an off-course vagrant in the eastern half of the country. I’ve seen them in NM, AZ, and UT, but never here in NY before.

An Ash-throated Flycatcher has also been seen in Green-Wood the last couple of days, but I didn’t see it yesterday.