Today was honey-do day at the Whitaker Estate.  Store summer tires, remove screens, set up humidifiers, fill bird feeders, wash windows . . . basically summer is over and get ready for a Maine winter.

Then a Western Kingbird was reported in Freeport . . . a bird rarely seen west of the Mississippi . . . so to hell with Ingrid’s projects.  (actually to be fair, she encouraged me to drop everything and go get it).

Thirty minutes later, I pulled off a country road, siding a farm pasture and a three birders were set up with scopes, looking at the Western Kingbird on a post 50 yards away.  I set up my own scope and watched him chase insects, diving into the grass.  After about 20 minutes he flew west and disappeared.

What a thrill.