They winter in South America. And their little wings carry them a humongous number of miles to get to their breeding grounds in eastern North America. Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea).
Male Scarlet Tanagers are that perfect color combination of brilliant red and black. Smart birds, they’re my favorite colors to wear too. The females are a subtle yellow and black.
If you are interested in what you might offer to attract Scarlet Tanagers to your yard, the internet will tell you to put out, “suet, mealworms, grape jelly or oranges.” My suggestion is have a birdbath or two or three and lots of blueberry bushes.
These beauties will be arriving very soon. I can’t wait.
4 responses to “Scarlet Tanager”
I used to wait for these tanagers to show up in the lower part of Manhattan. I could always see them for a limited time by the Westside Highway and Christopher St. on the Hudson River. Always amazed me since it is very very busy with automobiles and people. Quite different than your blue berry bushes in the mountains. It is such a thrill to see their bright red beauty in this environment.
Oh Anne! What a remarkable experience you had in Manhattan, seeing Scarlet Tanagers come through! Totally amazing! For sure, having them in blueberry bushes seems so mundane in comparison! But wherever they are, they are such beautiful birds!
Thank you so much for reading my posts!
Bren
Amazing brilliance!
Anita, Oh YES! That color is so wonderful, so demanding. With that “look at me!” attitude! I love it!
Thanks bunches for reading my posts!
Bren