Seward, Alaska
Late this afternoon, I got a text from Brad Benter about a WESTERN TANAGER he and Melissa spotted in a Mt Ash at Resurrection Blvd and Marathon Drive in Seward. I was there ASAP!
It was buried in the yellow leaves and red berries, but fortunately it moved occasionally and with their help, I finally saw it. Then it flew to a dense spruce tree and disappeared.
While I scoured the tree, it flew unnoticed a few blocks away. Brad again texted me he had refound it. I hustled over and finally got some decent views and photos of the beautiful, sleek, yellow female. She was busy gleaning caterpillars and winged insects from the branches and leaves.
Looking through my records, I realized I saw a much duller plumaged Western Tanager shortly after a big storm on September 11, 2013.
This lost bird could be anywhere as it only needs insects and invertebrates which are everywhere, hiding in bark crevices and under leaves, and Mt Ash and Mayday berries for dessert.
What a pleasure to see this bird and the birders!
Happy Birding!
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter
Carol Griswold
No comments:
Post a Comment