Randy Suhl and I were birding the Beaver Lake Trail at Pocahontas State Park
yesterday as part of the VSO state park foray, when we heard what we thought
was a Rose-breasted Grosbeak singing. We both commented that the song was
not that of a robin, and definitely not a Scarlet Tanager since it didn't have
the raspy quality. Since this was surprisingly late in the season for this
part of the state, we made a particular effort to locate the bird and
eventually found it high up in a tulip poplar. Except that it wasn't a
Grosbeak, it
was a Scarlet Tanager. We know it was that individual because we actually
saw it singing.
The other thing that was interesting about the bird, was the plumage.
Instead of the intense red, it was more orange. Randy said that there was a
so-called "orange variant" (mentioned in both Sibley and Peterson). I also
noticed some traces of green in the plumage, which makes me think it was a
first
spring male who is still learning!
Moral of the story: We're both experienced ear birders, and if it hadn't
been for the late date, we probably wouldn't have given it a second thought.
Wendy Ealding
Powhatan County
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