You never quite know what you’re going to see in the backyard in the spring. Case in point, this Western Tanager showed up the other day…I spotted it enjoying a bit of grape jelly. The jelly of course was put out for Orioles who have yet to arrive. This particular species of Tanager though is not really seen around here that much. A few get reported around Iowa here and there, but their main region is from the middle of Nebraska and westward. With that in mind, it was nice to check this one off the list of backyard sightings. Seeing a pair of Red Crossbills would probably still be the most memorable, but anytime a “newbie” shows up, it’s a happy day.