Scarlet Tanager
On yet another cool, rainy morning, a Scarlet Tanager sang from a branch near the top of a pecan tree on the edge of our yard. After showers all night and early in the morning, the rain had slowed to a fine mist, but the clouds were still low and the light very gray. In this quiet setting, the Tanager’s bright, insistent song stood out more vividly than its red and black colors.
When I first heard and saw it, I was working in the yard, taking advantage of the break in the rain. All I could see was a small, dark bird against a misty gray background, but the song was familiar. I was surprised, as I often am, to be reminded how small a Scarlet Tanager is – when seen through binoculars, its colors are so bold and dramatic that it often looks larger than life, or maybe that’s just the way I remember it, because it makes such a striking impression.
Once I had gotten binoculars, I watched for several minutes as it sang and sang from the same spot – it still looked small, but brilliant scarlet-red all over, with ink-black slashes of wings. Now and then, he threw in a chick-brrr, or just a sharp chick. While facing in my direction, he paused and preened, scratched his head with one foot, showing some small white flecks in the plumage. Then he turned around and sang some more. After several minutes, he flew into a tree in a neighbor’s yard, where he continued to sing.