Seeing Red in a Snowstorm

I had just arrived back to the office after spending the morning teaching 4th graders about the water cycle, and was trying to catch up on the ever growing "to do" list when the phone rang.

It was one of my volunteers. "Hey, Wendy. I have this bird in my yard and I can't figure out what it is. It's all red."

"Really? All red? Do you see any black anywhere on it?"

"No, not really. Well, its wings look like they might have a slight hint of black. It's head is shaped like Kramer's hair, on Seinfiled."

"It has a little crest on it?"

"Yes"

"But no black on the face?"


"No, its all red"

"I'm coming over!"

I arrive at his house about 10 minutes later, and there was no sign of his red bird. We watch sparrows, lazuli buntings, doves, one black-headed grosbeak, some magpies. I knew as soon as I left it would show up again. So instead I pulled up a chair and hung out near the window.

"There it is!" he shouted from the winter in the other room.

And sure enough, there it was.

The pictures do not do it justice. These were taken from about 250- 300 feet away, out a window on a bla day, with my 12x zoom.

But sure enough, it is a summer tanager. Right up here in Midway.

Listed as rare in Utah, this is the only one I have ever seen.

Behind the tanager is a lazuli bunting and something else that I can't quite identify.

Like I said, the pictures don't do it justice. This bird was a stunning, gorgeous red!

Thanks to an observant volunteer, I had the opportunity to see a great bird today.