# Scarlet Tanager!



## PerchPatrol (Mar 31, 2006)

I saw my first one by the side of US41 about 10 miles west of copper harbor in mid-may. It was on the side of the road & wouldn't move, except to jump around like it was nuts. We watched it for about 3 minutes. It was acting very strange, but didn't look like it was hurt. Very cool. 

Now I need to see an indigo bunting.


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## Anish (Mar 6, 2009)

Too cool! I saw my first one about 4 years ago. They are gorgeous birds!!


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## trout (Jan 17, 2000)

Awesome birds.
I saw them often in the Port Huron SGA in May/June.


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## chemo13 (May 10, 2006)

I love these birds. I'm lucky to have them in my backwoods on a regular basis. Takes a bit of searching but they are there. 
I had a group of kids with me one and one landed 5 ft from us. The kids couldn't understand my excitement when I saw it......humph kids.

Sent from my VS910 4G using Ohub Campfire mobile app


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## localyahoo (May 28, 2009)

Saw my first two ever this year and they were very cool to see.


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## multibeard (Mar 3, 2002)

I found the remains of a badly decomposed dead bird along my sons drive way a few weeks ago. I knew I should have known what it was but could not come up with the name.

Sadly to say after seeing the picture the name came to me. I had seen a few before alive but this one was badly decomposed so it was not easily identified.


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## Boardman Brookies (Dec 20, 2007)

I saw one a few year back on the Boardman River while fishing. It was was glowing neon red color. Cool bird for sure!


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## bucko12pt (Dec 9, 2004)

Funny, but lots of people seem to be seeing them in the area this year. I saw one while picking mushrooms and another at home one day. 

My buddy had never seen one at his feeder in 35 years of recording bird viewings until this year.


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## goodworkstractors (Aug 7, 2007)

Very cool. Four years ago, I was sitting in my backyard in the middle of the day sometime in June and had a Scarlet Tanager, Eastern Bluebird, Baltimore Oriole, and Pileated Woodpecker in my yard at the same time. Sounds crazy to even think anyone would believe that, but I was on the phone with my mom at the time. So she can verify! :lol:


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## PerchPatrol (Mar 31, 2006)

bucko12pt said:


> Funny, but lots of people seem to be seeing them in the area this year. I saw one while picking mushrooms and another at home one day.
> 
> My buddy had never seen one at his feeder in 35 years of recording bird viewings until this year.


I agree! I saw another on our way home from the fishing trip along US2.

I had never seen one until this trip, and I saw 2!

Still waiting for the bluebird.


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## brushbuster (Nov 9, 2009)

I have a couple pairs of them that hang out in 
my back yard by the pond. They come to the water everyday. They seem to like seclusion.

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## Ladygill (Dec 28, 2002)

Congratulations and great picture!It is always exciting to see a bird for the first time...especially a Scarlet Tanager. I seen my first one last June at Tawas Point State Park while vacationing the east side of Michigan with my spouse. It was the most beautiful red I had ever seen on a bird and was a very exciting moment. I have read that although these birds usually are found in the canopy of wooded areas feeding on insects, it is rare to see them on the ground, but if they are, they are most likely looking for food. Hope you see your first Indigo Bunting soon.


PerchPatrol said:


> I saw my first one by the side of US41 about 10 miles west of copper harbor in mid-may. It was on the side of the road & wouldn't move, except to jump around like it was nuts. We watched it for about 3 minutes. It was acting very strange, but didn't look like it was hurt. Very cool.
> 
> Now I need to see an indigo bunting.


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## Ranger Ray (Mar 2, 2003)

I have seen a lot of them this year. They like the thickets along streams, especially more secluded areas. Hard to get pictures of them as they don't sit very long in their pursuit of insects. They suffer from high predation.


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## trout (Jan 17, 2000)

Your birds strange behavior, might have been "anting"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anting_(bird_activity)


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## PerchPatrol (Mar 31, 2006)

trout said:


> Your birds strange behavior, might have been "anting"
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anting_(bird_activity)


That sure sounds like that's what the bird was doing.
I was thinking it acted like it had been eating fermented berries, but not that time of year.


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## Brown duck (Dec 16, 2005)

Ranger Ray said:


> They like the thickets along streams, especially more secluded areas.


That seems more like a migration trait. They really are more of a forest interior bird. Not all that uncommon, but they typically spend most of their time high in the canopy. Learn their song, and with a pair of binoculars, you can locate them somewhat easily.


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## john decker (Jan 21, 2010)

5yrs back myself and 2 buds were hunting morels on state land when we spotted one,this is the first I had seen.it seemed to follow us through the woods,staying up high in the canopy of the trees.we saw it about 6 times that morning.


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## brushbuster (Nov 9, 2009)

Heres a few pics of some recent visits


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## 2508speed (Jan 6, 2011)

Very cool pic. Almost looks like the grosbeak is feeding the Tanager.


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