We made the trip down to Holmes Co. today and were rewarded with good views of both of the tanagers.  The homeowner at the WETA site (8337 TR 662) happened to be outside when we arrived and she immediately pointed out the bird to us.  We might not have seen it right away otherwise as it was sitting on the ground right in front of the house basement window.  Not a place we would have thought to look.  We got to watch it for about 15 minutes or more but we stayed another 15 minutes having a very nice conversation with her.  And got an added bonus of a Red-headed Woodpecker sighting.

We then drove the approximately 4 miles to the SUTA site (6830 OH 515).  We had to wait a bit longer to see the bird there--1 hour, 20 minutes--but it was a comfortable wait.  The homeowners are wonderful people who ask that you come in to watch for the bird, so as not to disturb the birds too much and they don't mind if you just sit & watch for as long as it takes.  The feeders are all very close to the house and drive.  When we did see the tanager, it was only about 6" away!  
Both families are very gracious and welcoming and really want everyone to see the birds they are hosting.  One made the comment that they had been warned that they could be sorry they were inviting strangers to come and that birders could sometimes be quite rude.  She said that she had not found that to be the case, but just the opposite, that she had met only very nice people.  Let's do everything we can to see that it stays that way!  (See Kent Miller's post of Dec 8, Holmes Co. Western & Summer Tanager Updates for guidelines on viewing these birds).  Along those lines, we took a small Thank-you gift of some home-made candy.  There are also other ways to show your appreciation...a thank-you card, small bag of bird seed, etc.
Laura DornanStark Co

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