#32: Western Tanager

I caught a glimpse of this summer bird just this past Saturday afternoon, as I was standing in the kitchen chatting with my husband and a friend of his who is heading off to Colombia to teach for a couple of years. I saw it alight near our water fountain, and I gasped, trying to get Randy's attention. I pointed and motioned, "It's a... it's a..." I couldn't think of what it was called. My birding skills have gotten so rusty! Both Randy and our guest managed to see it before it flew off, probably heading to the cooler pines up north. It's so rare that we get to see these beautifully-colored birds in the city. I'm taking it as a good luck sign of beautiful things to come. (Ink with Graphitint & inktense wash, manipulated in photobucket)