Day 257: I had a lot of help from Mother Nature in capturing this image of a Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana) who was visiting my yard. I've found these birds to be difficult to document photographically. They always jump out of the frame a fraction of a second before the shutter engages, or they hide among foliage, only revealing themselves with the occasional tantalizing flash of orange and yellow. How did Ma help me out? Well, we're building up to a heat wave here, and as a consequence, it's been quite windy. Mr. Tanager (yes, this is a male) was struggling to keep his balance on the wire and was so preoccupied that he didn't notice when I opened the back door and stepped out onto the porch. I had just enough time to snap four or five shots at 74x digital zoom, this being the best of the lot. I knew it had been too much to hope for his appearance on my Big Day because Tanagers don't often come to the yard. That said, this is the second time I've seen him this year.
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