A last hurrah for the Denver metro area?

[Jared Del Rosso]

Last night, I came home to my west Centennial (Arapahoe) yard to find a half dozen tanagers continuing. With them, as new arrivals, was a trio of immature Black-headed Grosbeaks (two males, one female). Later, a Warbling Vireo came through. An Olive-sided Flycatcher, which I'd earlier seen a few houses away, visited too. 

This morning -- nothing. This afternoon -- nothing. (Even the singing, male Yellow Warbler appears gone.) I'm sure if I traversed the High Line Canal Trail, I might find some stragglers. But for the last week or two or more, my yard's been full. Now, the place is filled with only absences. 

 

Are others in the Denver metro area noting the same thing--empty spaces where the birds were yesterday or the day before? Or is it just my yard?

 

- Jared Del Rosso

Centennial, CO

 

[Lesley Brown]

We've noticed a diminished number of visits to the feeder from the tanagers but we're still seeing them quite frequently.  Just a bit ago we had 2 males and 2 females.  We've also been visited by a male and female black-headed grosbeak this last week, and saw the female today.  What a week!  But now it's time the tanagers get moving.  I hope they remember us this fall.  We're also seeing much less activity in the yard from the broad-tailed hummingbirds.

Lesley Brown

Northern Highlands Ranch

[Rosanne Juergens]

Not gone yet from my yard! Although a cute Lesser Goldfinch pair just started their visits to my nyger feeder yesterday. I'm about 3 miles west of you Jared
Rosanne Juergens
Centennial/Littleton

[Matt Rodgers]

Jared, I’m about a mile west of you and same experience here; I’ve had multiple tanagers here over the past week working mainly my oranges but they did start to go after the jelly in my oriole feeder as well (something the few orioles I’ve had didn’t do) but nothing today; a remarkable fallout indeed and I look forward to learning more about why this event has apparently happened the whole way to the Great Lakes but am afraid it may be wrapping up in our neck of the woods.

All the best, Matt

[John Ealy]

Sorry for any redundancy: Phone froze mid-post. 

Regarding Western tanagers: We have three pairs continuing. Way down from the 65-80 (uphill neighbor swears 100- plus) we had at peak, when they daily went through seven bars of homemade suet, six orange halves and three 32-ounce jars of grape jam over three days. They started arriving May 3, and only grew more numerous with the record cold. The numbers we had were double the irruption of May 15-19, 2016. Concurrent were five male and three female black-headed grosbeaks, and a scattering of lazuli buntings, chipping sparrows and white-crown sparrows. We did see a female sharp-shinned hawk take out and eat a female tanager, which might have been stunned by a window strike. 

Roxborough Park, Colorado

Douglas County

On Tuesday, June 4, 2019 at 7:35:51 PM UTC-6, John Ealy wrote:

On Friday, May 31, 2019 at 3:44:08 PM UTC-6, Jared Del Rosso wrote:

[John Ealy]

Saw a lone male Western tanager this morning after seeing none for three days. And upon a reread of earlier post, a correction: I said "irruption" but meant "fallout" of 2015. Apologies.
John Ealy, Roxborough Park, Douglas County.