The wonderfully reliable western tanager still in Columbus since 4 Dec is the 13th documented record for Ohio. The species had gone unseen for ten years in Ohio until this spring, when an astonishing three adult males were observed, in Sandusky, Greene, and Lucas counties, the latter two with diagnostic photos. Spring western tanagers in the East are very rare, and our only other one was from May 1996. Eastern records this time of year, while still big news, are more numerous. There are records out as far as Nova Scotia; last winter Maine hosted a western tanager in January. Ohio has nine records in fall/winter: setting aside a briefly-seen possible in October 2000, the most recent was in Nov 1982. The NE Ohio records Peterjohn (2001) mentions were, I am told, in fact documented. Western tanagers should be in Mexico and Central America now. Many of their wintering areas have been effaced by coffee plantations, but apparently they are making do. The only place they are known to winter with any regularity in North America is a small area in southern California centered around San Diego. Their diet normally consists of insects, but like many species in winter they are happy with fruits. But not coffee beans, as far as I know. Bill Whan Columbus ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]