| Common Name | Summer Tanager |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Piranga rubra |
| Type of Report | Rare Species |
| Date of Observation | 07/15/2023 |
| Number Observed | 1 |
| Reporting Observer's Name | Jane English |
| Mailing Address | 56 No 10 Pond Rd East Callais, Vermont 05650-8080 United States Map It |
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| Date Completed | 08/18/2023 |
| Latitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | 44.390417° |
| Longitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | -72.447085° |
| Place Name | North Calais |
| Township | Calais |
| County | Washington |
| Time of Day | 03:30 PM |
| Length of Time Observed | 10 minutes |
| Maximum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 150 |
| Minimum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 20 |
| Noteworthy Weather Conditions | wind from the south most of that day |
| Optical Equipment Used for Observation | none |
| Observer’s Previous Acquaintance With This or Similar Species | Never before seen summer tanager. I know the scarlet tanager, but this bird did not have black, or dark, wings. Color was reddish, rusty, not bright red or yellowish |
| I certify that any attachments included with this report were captured during this observation event. | |
| Description of Habitat | back yard in wooded area, edge of an old Vermont village. #10 Pond is about 100 yards north and stream (part of the Winooski headwaters) is about 100 yards down to the south |
| Behaviors Observed | flitting around in top of big old black cherry tree, then flew maybe 150 feet across front lawn to another black cherry |
| Description of Vocalizations | like a hoarse robin -- repeated groups of 4-5 calls |
| Verbal Narrative & Description of Observation | I was sitting in my home and heard a bird call close by that was new to me but sounded like a hoarse robin. I went out on the back deck and saw the bird in the top of the big black cherry tree that is right next to the house. Bird sometimes came down to lower branches so that I could see its overall reddish brown color. It sang/called often |
| Relative Size & Shape | smaller and more slender than robin. similar in size to scarlet tanagers I have seen |
| Head | mostly reddish brown |
| Feet & Bill | not noted -- as it was flitting around |
| Upper Back | reddish brown |
| Lower Back & Rump | reddish brown |
| Wings | same color as body |
| Breast, Belly, Flanks, Under Tail Coverts | not observed |
| Tail | not observed |
| IMPORTANT: What similar species were eliminated when making the identification and how was this bird different? | scarlet tanager -- because wings not dark and because it was not red like the male scarlet or yellowish like the female scarlet |
| Other Notes & Comments | sex uncertain as I do not know what plumage male summer tanager has in late summer. It looked most like the image of the female summer tanager in Sibley |
| This report was written from notes taken: | Immediately After |
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