The 247th Species

There’s a male Scott’s Oriole (Icterus parisorum) in Union Square. What the hell is it doing there? Pics here. Normally uncommon in the Southwest, this is a very rare appearance on this coast. (Must have taken a wrong turn at Albuquerque.) Of course I went to check it out. It's the 247th species of bird I've seen (and identified) in my short birding career, but who's counting? It’s been flitting between the Gandhi statue at the SW corner of the Square and the larger trees in the park. Views are eye-level (not usual for orioles) and spectacular, even eyeballing without binoculars. The evergreen behind Gandhi (it must be his aura) has been worked over by a yellow-bellied sapsucker, which was also visible today. Pretty remarkable considering the limited amount of trees and the swarm of people in the area. Plenty of birders on the scene to give you cover if you feel weird about gawking...