Summer Tanager at Moss Park

We headed out to Moss Park for the annual Cub Scout camping trip. Moss park is pretty reliable for several bird species such as Great-crested Flycatcher, Crows, White-eyed Vireos, and the ever present Sandhill Cranes which try to beg for food throughout the day.

As night closed in on us there was a sound I was not familiar with. It took quite a while to zero in on the bird but it finally flew to a new tree and in the gloom I could just make it out. A Summer Tanager! I had only seen them across the marsh at Split Oak Mitigation in the past but this one was right over the campsite.

I vowed to find it again in the morning when the light was better. Sure enough, it was still flying about, this time making the more familiar song calls I am used to. Still, it was hard to find high up in the pines. Even though the calls are quite loud, they seem to come from different spots all at the same time.

Finally, I spotted it at the very top of a pine 30 yards from the tent.



It remained in that spot for a long time allowing my to get some passable ID shots.



Hard to believe it is so hard to locate such a brightly colored bird among the dark green needles of the trees. Easy to love to beautiful calls as it forages high above.