Things have been a little hectic at work with some training going on that has actually cut into my time off. The good news is the birds just keep on coming. On Monday we had some geology training (including a little fossil hunting that yielded a couple of nice new specimens from the Cretaceous) and on that day I added a pair of new species for the year lists Black-chinned Hummingbird and Black-necked Stilt. The stilts, a bird I know well from Florida, were in a pond just outside the park. Considered "rare" Spring/Fall migrants on the park checklist, they were a nice, unexpected surprise. At a staff get-together on Tuesday night I saw a pair of House Finches to further pad the list. Then this morning I went for a short walk while waiting for my laundry and the new bird on that little stroll was one I heard singing 6 or 8 times last Spring before finally seeing one: Plumbeous Vireo.

Bird of the day was when I got home after the chores were finished: #105 for the Utah list (and #91 for the Bryce list) was my long awaited male Western Tanager! Actually, I knew he was around because I heard him singing for a good 1/2 hour before I'd left, I just couldn't pinpoint the exact tree. When I finally did see him he was at the bird bath and binoculars weren't even necessary.