Scarlet Tanager and Alder Blossoms

Most people I know are suckers for colour. It must be a pretty jaded eye that is not perked up by a male scarlet tanager. The red, which I would call vermilion rather than scarlet, literally seems lit from within. It seems to shine even more on dull days. The lively joy of a tree full of migrating warblers can be eclipsed in a moment when this male tanager comes into view. As if to compensate for the vivid spectacle of his plumage, this bird’s movements are slow, almost listless and bored. This, of course, is great for admiring birders, in contrast to the annoyingly flitty warblers. The song also makes it easy to track down. It is like a loud robin with a sore throat. The female, although she is undoubtedly more meritorious than the male, is dull olive and does not sing so is usually totally ignored.