Thanks, Chris, for this very succinct summary.
Based on my own, unfortunately much briefer, observation of "that tanager"
the following day, I can only concur with Chris's impression of a
yellow-green, "cute", round-headed and rather compact-looking bird with all
dark wings that lacked any trace of wingbars. The bird did not look like
any Western Tanager I have ever seen, and it certainly did not have the
somewhat crested, "mean" look I associate with Summer Tanager.
My own experience with Scarlet Tanagers is limited to adult males and
females in the eastern US during the breeding season, but after an
extensive review of the literature and online photos, I agree that the
overall coloration (especially the back, which is suffused with some
grayish tone) and the apparently rather orange bill fall well within the
normal spectrum seen in young, female Scarlet Tanagers (it is helpful that
people familiar with this species agree with this assessment). And while I
only watched the bird fly from one tree deep into another (where is
subsequently disappeared), I did notice a distinct flash of white on the
underwing, which agrees with Chris's observation and would strongly point
against Western or Summer Tanager.
A great find! Let's hope the bird is till around and will be seen again by
others.
Happy chasing!
Hendrik
On Tue, Nov 1, 2016 at 11:33 PM, Christopher Hinkle <
christopher.hinkle2@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Here are my thoughts on the tanager. I've been busy, so my apologies for
not getting this out sooner.
Here's what I observed. Watched for a few minutes in the maroon-leafed
plum tree from 30 yards in good lighting.
-Initial impression was relatively small tanager with "cute", rounded
head, almost like a female Painted Bunting
-Noticed yellow-green color overall.
-Observed the wing pattern in detail. Wings were dark blackish-brown
especially on the tertials/primaries/secondaries. The scapulars and wing
coverts were slightly paler, with greenish and grayish tones. The wings
were fresh, with obvious greenish edging on the feathers. The edging was
fairly bright green especially on the secondaries, with whitish edging on
the tertials.
-There were no wingbars. This was confirmed from multiple angles based on
a close view. The greenish edging on the wing coverts created what could
come off as a faint wingbar effect, but the edging was even and did not
create actual wingbars.
-Overall, the bird was yellow-green, including the head, belly,
underparts, and undertail coverts. The flanks were paler, making the
undertail coverts stand out slightly.
-The bird turned away from us, allowing a good view of the back. The back
was dominantly yellow-green, with a slight grayish undertone. The back
color blended into the greenish-yellow rump. The head was slightly more
yellow, but did not contrast with the back.
-The bird moved higher in the tree at one point, allowing another angle
that confirmed the described plumage marks and impressions.
After a few minutes, the bird flew out of the top of the plum tree. I
watched closely, and specifically noted entirely white underwing coverts.
The bird flew a couple hundred feet up the hill and over the house, so it
was in view for several seconds. While field marks seen on flying birds are
often hard to discern (thus why we wrote "appeared to have white
underwings"), it was a good view, and I don't think it's possible that I
saw it wrong.
After getting home, we reviewed photos of Scarlet Tanagers. I have never
seen a female Scarlet Tanager before (just males), but upon reviewing
photos was surprised to realize that many female Scarlets look just like
the bird we saw. Some birders expressed concern about the orange bill, but
you can look for yourself and find many photos of Scarlets with bills that
are quite orange.
The feedback we got was in two camps:
-First, many folks familiar with Scarlets said it looks like a normal
female Scarlet.
-The other camp was birders cautioning that (1) worn Westerns can lack
wingbars and (2) the bill was orange. They also said the back seemed
grayish.
Checking photos online, many Scarlets have orangish bills. Several birders
said the bill is within variation of Scarlet or Western. Westerns are much
more orange on average, but some Scarlets have orange bills. We got a
direct view of the back, which did have some grayish undertones, but was
well within what female Scarlets can show. The photos we posted are
slightly washed out, making the bird look grayer and paler than it actually
was.
Regarding Westerns that lack wingbars: I cannot find a photo of a Western
Tanager that lacks wingbars, but it does seem reasonable that Westerns
could lack wingbars when extremely worn. However, this bird's wings were
not worn. The bright edging on the wing feathers show that it was in fresh
plumage. A worn, pre-molt bird should be duller overall, without the
described bright edging on the wing feathers. A very worn Western should
also be paler, duller, and grayer overall. At this late date I think most
tanagers should have molted into fresh plumage by now anyway.
In all, it looked like a normal Scarlet Tanager to me. It was unlike any
variation of Western.
The dark wings without wingbars eliminate Western, especially considering
that the fresh edging on the tertials, primaries, secondaries, etc. shows
that the bird was in fresh plumage. The entirely white underwing never
occurs in Western. Furthermore, the overall impression also points to
Scarlet. Adrian's first impression was Scarlet, and when I refound the bird
in the plum tree, my immediate impression was also Scarlet. Our photos are
washed out. The overall coloration in the photos isn't quite right due to
the overexposure, but the photos do show the wing pattern pretty well.
As I said, we got extended closeup views and all field marks looked like a
normal female Scarlet.
Lastly, there's a very good chance the bird is still around. Folks should
still be looking for it, with the added bonus of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak
a few blocks away that was photographed and submitted to ebird yesterday.
Adrian asked that I share a link to additional photos that he has posted:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/80672850@N02/
Good birding,
Christopher Hinkle
