Still More Birds...

Here's the start of my latest opus...

Keeping in my Bird Theme.

The Hummingbirds are thrilled with all the Agastaches, the Salvias, and the Foxgloves...

And I've noticed that the Goldfinches are beginning to pull out immature Thistle seeds to eat... 

The Barn Swallow babies continue their morning routine...fly to the front of the house...and beg!

And let's not forget the Violet Green Swallow babies.

They are fat and downy and should be flying any day now.

This fellow looks similar to a very large Goldfinch...

but note his bright red head...

I was so pleased to see a male Western Tanager near the house.  They are rather shy birds and do not frequent birdfeeds, so it is always special to see one in the area.  The Western Tanager breeds farther north than any other member of this mostly tropical species, breeding to nearly 60°N in the Northwest Territories.  The red pigment in the face of the male Western Tanager is rhodoxanthin, a pigment that is rare in birds. It is not manufactured by the bird.  Instead, it must be acquired from the diet, from insects that themselves acquire the pigment from plants.  The bird breeds in open coniferous and mixed deciduous-coniferous forests, eating mainly insects and some fruit.