Greetings from San Cristobal and beyond. Western Tanagers have frequented our garden every year in the past. I have never seen so many all at once as I have this year. Yesterday I had to cut them off from the suet. The Western Tanagers frenzy feeding, and flying around erratically bumping into the windows bringing to mind images of drunken sailors. During a respite, I spotted this little guy after he’d wiped his beak clean of the suet on the bark of the flowering pear tree.
Here’s a list of birds in the garden over three days this week.
Birds 05-20/21/22-2023
Cassin’s Finch
Spotted Towhee
Pine Siskin
Black-headed Grosbeak
European Starling
Evening Grosbeak
Common Raven
Pinyon Jay
Black-billed Magpie
Eurasian Collared Dove
American Robin
Western Tanager
White-breasted Nuthatch
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
American Crow
House Sparrow
Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay
Canyon Towhee
Bullock’s Oriole
House Finch
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (the app ID’d it three times but not confirmed).
Common Grackle. (Could be the crow with a sore throat).
Onward!
Pueblo Peak (Taos Mountain) has been and always will be my muse. It is what has kept me drawn to the area I call home. My other muse is my version of “Monet’s Haystacks Series”… the cottonwood tree and red willows growing along an acequia in Arroyo Hondo, a hamlet just south of San Cristobal.
I shot this image a few days ago on May 21, 2023. The second image was taken on May 21, 2022
As you can see in the second picture the greening up of the willows was about a week more advanced this time last year. The cottonwood is more or less similar in both years.
Continue scrolling to see more images from this series in previous seasons.
This year I’ll be working on a shot of the tree, willows, and valley in summer’s full glory.
There are other images of this scene in my archive. A search will reveal more.
Thank you for all the wonderful comments and compliments, and as always. thank you for looking. G
14 thoughts on “Western Tanager, Arroyo Hondo Cottonwood. 05-24-2023”
Exquisite study, Geraint!
Thank you so much, Mark. I pass by the tree on every trip to town. Cheers. G
Your photography always presents something stunning, imaginative and different, to excite the senses with colour and beauty. Thank you
Thank you, Francine, that’s a wonderful compliment. Best wishes. G
wow, great to see the changes in seasons thanks
Thank you so much, Michael. G
I cannot get enough of these trees. Thanks for your focus and skills
There will be more, count on it. I’m inspired by your trees. Thank you, Jim. G
I see a theme in these photos of a burst of color, winding its way through. Great work!
Thank you so much, Alexis. I’m happy you like this series. Best wishes. G
Thank you, Geraint,
for taking us on this colorful trip
Thank you so much, Larry. There’ll be more and hopefully more bird watching and photography this summer. Cheers. G
So beautiful & serene. Love the season comparisons…the land we all love. Thank you for sharing your incredible photos 💙
I hope to keep on sharing. Thank you so much, for letting me know, Patrice. Best wishes to you. G