August 4th, 2005. Baker Street, Amherst, MA.
|
Scarlet Tanager Piranga olivacea.
| This female tanager turned up in the yard with a chickadee flock in late morning. Unusually for Scarlet Tanager,
the wing coverts clearly had pale tips forming indistinct wing bars.
Recently, I also saw a similar bird in the Quabbin on July 29th, but
failed to get any images.
The wing bars are perhaps suggestive of Western Tanager, but some Scarlet Tanagers do apparently show faint wing bars and one can find images of such
birds on the internet. The bill of this bird is also of interest,
looking quite orange towards the tip at certain angles. The bill should be deeper gray in Scarlet Tanager. I’ll be keeping an eye out for this bird in the forthcoming days.
Also in the yard today - Downy Woodpecker, Common Yellowthroat (3), Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Cedar Waxwing (6), and the ever present Carolina Wrens (6) and Song Sparrows (4). Two Tree Swallows were also overhead at noon. Three plus Indigo Buntings were still singing on the Norwottuck Bike Trail.
| |
Comments - If you have any comments on this bird or the frequency of 'wing-barred' Scarlet Tanagers, do let me know at:
james@keenbirding.com
| |
Taken using Canon Powershot A-95 through Nikon ED 20x60 telescope.
|
|
