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Adult male Summer Tanagers are entirely bright red. Females and immature males are bright yellow-green, like the bird I saw on Nov. 19 in my yard. Summer Tanagers tend to stay high in the forest canopy, where they sally out to catch flying insects, mostly bees and wasps, or move slowly along tree branches to glean food. Summer Tanagers breed in deciduous or pine-oak forests across the southern and mid-Atlantic U.S. In the Southwest they breed in low elevation riparian woodlands and in higher elevation mesquite and saltcedar. Migrating Summer Tanagers stop in these habitats as well as in parks and gardens (such as my back yard on Nov. 19). They spend the winter in open and second-growth habitats in southern Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. In Southern California, Summer Tanagers are strictly riparian specialists; they breed in the Prado Basin and at the Whitewater and Big Morongo Preserves. I have looked for them every spring along Potrero Creek in the hope that a pair will find our maturing riparian habitat and the Nov. 19 sighting provides a reason for optimism. ~ Steve Edelman Birding CLUB The Birding Club welcomes beginning and experienced birders to start or hone bird identification skills. Our main activity is a monthly bird walk along Four Seasons' nature trails, which follow native riparian woodlands. We keep a list of all species observed at Four Seasons and take seasonal field trips to nearby birding hot spots. On Nov. 19 I got my binoculars on an unusual bird near my backyard feeder and was flabbergasted to see a Summer Tanager, Four Seasons' first and bird #91 (our Bird of the Month). For our fall field trip to the Potrero Unit of the San Jacinto Wildlife Area on Nov. 23, we were joined by the Photography Club and the Friends of Northern San Jacinto Valley, a total of 35 people. The 70 eyes saw a beautiful landscape and proved useful in seeing 18 bird species. Although we were just a few miles as the crow flies from Four Seasons, we saw three species that have not yet occurred here: Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Merlin (a small falcon), and Western Meadowlark. This was the first public visit to the Potrero Unit of the San Jacinto Wildlife Area, we hope there will be more. We meet on the first Saturday of the month at 8 am at the Potrero Creek (Trail A) trailhead at The Lodge parking lot. Email steve.h.edelman@gmail.com for current schedule and information. ~ Steve Edelman FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | JANUARY 2020 37 Bird of the Month Adult male Summer Tanager photographed by Dave Kettering during the Birding Club's May field trip to Big Morongo Canyon Preserve The Four Seasons Birding and Photography Clubs and the Friends of Northern San Jacinto Valley at the Potrero Unit of the San Jacinto Wildlife Area in November. Photo by Howard Levine One of the surprises of the Potrero Unit was the beautiful rock formations. Photo by Howard Levine

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