A Scarlet Tanager in a Buckeye Tree

...a light patter of raindrops was falling against the dome of our oversized umbrella as we walked the Little Miami trail listening to the evening songs of Wood Thrushes and other wood warblers. "I hope we see a male Scarlet Tanager," I said to Rick. "I haven't seen one yet this year, and he would be beautiful in the rain." We walked on and saw lots of birds, but no tanager. Eventually it stopped raining and the sun came out in a fitful burst to light the treetops and help dry the rain, and suddenly, there he was...fiery crimson in the buckeye tree...

A male Scarlet Tanager radiates color in the shadows of evening along the Little Miami River.

...in its only appearance of the day, a shaft of the sun's light makes it through the canopy and ignites the bird's feathers against the yellows and greens of the buckeye tree's leaves.

...even though a shaft of sunlight was highlighting the bird, the evening sun was weak and the low light required a high ISO, draining the photo of detail (but to me a fuzzy Scarlet Tanager is better than no tanager at all...).

Of all the spring migrants, Scarlet Tanagers hold a special place in my heart. They were the first "exotic" bird I learned as a child. When I was really young, my parents hung an Audubon print of the Scarlet Tanager in my bedroom. I loved that old-fashioned print, and I loved knowing that the fiery red bird with coal black wings was a Scarlet Tanager. It was a beautiful bird and had a beautiful sounding name (I also remember wondering why none of my friends loved the bird or thought the painting was cool...).

Today when I looked at my fuzzy photos, I fell in love with the bird all over again. The contrast between the bright crimson and the spring greens sparked ideas in my head, and I couldn't put the oil pastels down and decided to go for grungy impressionism...

Painting 147. Scarlet Tanager in the Buckeye Tree

(Oil Pastel, 10x7 Sennelier Oil Pastel paper)

Painting 148. Scarlet Tanager Looking Up

(Oil Pastel, 10x8 Sennelier Oil Pastel paper)

Painting 149. Scarlet Tanager From Behind

(Oil Pastel, 10x8 Sennelier Oil Pastel paper)

...one more Scarlet Tanager story, and then I'll be quiet! In the early 90s I was birding at Sharon Woods in Hamilton County with my parents and my Grandma B. It was the first time Grandma had ever been "birding," and while we were walking, I said to her, "If we're lucky you'll get to see a Scarlet Tanager!" Of course, I knew the chances of that were slim because it was midsummer and the leaves were thick...and the canopy where the tanagers usually hung out was extremely high, but...Grandma with her Irish-Lass-Luck lucked out. Within seconds of the words leaving my mouth a male Scarlet flew down and landed on a branch no more than 3 feet away...and at eye level!!! We all stood there stunned and stared at the bird for over a minute. He was so gorgeous and so close...and just perched there watching us as we watched him. It's never happened since. I used to go to Sharon Woods all the time and walk that trail. I'd stop every time I got to that spot and watch and wait...

...and I still have an Audubon print of a Scarlet Tanager in my bedroom (it's a bigger print, and it's in the bathroom, but it's there!).

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My First (and as yet only) AMAZING Bird Story

I have lots of REALLY COOL bird stories and experiences, but I only have one truly AMAZING bird story, and it involves my truly amazing Grandma B. It was in the early 90s and I had taken my mom, dad, and grandma to Sharon Woods for a little birding. My Grandama B, being of the Irish persuasion, was a well-known “lucky lady,” and this was going to be her first birding trip. I remember saying, “if you’re lucky, we will see a Scarlet Tanager because they live here during the summer,” knowing full well they spent most of their time in the canopy and were usually heard but rarely seen. After all, I had been birding there for years and had never seen one, but within 3 seconds of the words leaving my mouth, a Scarlet Tanager flew down and perched on a bush not 3 feet from us at just under eye level. He was there for well over a minute looking at us frozen in our tracks looking at him. Many times I’ve had cool birds light on trees or bushes beside me, and I marvel at their beauty every time, but never a Scarlet Tanager, and never right after I uttered its name. I remember being in total awe, and realizing my grandma had some sort of connection with the big guy, or the big gal, or possibly the big bird, and that being Irish was really a good thing.

...a really quick colored pencil sketch 

of what I remember from that day.

Today would have been grandma’s birthday. Just like me (and Aunt Pat, and Aunt Becky, Aunt Bonnie and Grandpa H), Grandma B was a Pisces, and that always made me feel special. I’m sending this out to The Three Sisters. I’ve gone walking on the trail many times since then, but the Scarlet Tanager has never returned, but every time I reach that spot, I stop and can feel that day and that moment with all of us standing there, amazed, looking at that beautiful bird, and it feels good.