Summer Tanager - Pinewood Springs

[Matt Rodgers]

On the way out of the woods after a turkey hunt this morning, I heard an unfamiliar but melodic bird song; I was able to quickly locate the owner of the vocals and noticed a Tanager-sized passerine accompanied by an unidentifiable hummingbird near the top of a dead ponderosa pine. The former bird flashed a lot of red but I didn't have my binoculars handy and was hesitant in approaching closer than the 40 yards that separated us. I tried my best to imprint his song into my memory and returned to the truck to retrieve binoculars; unfortunately, after returning to the spot, I was unable to locate the handsome fella. After listening to recordings of a Summer Tanager and going through the possibilities of what else this bird could be, I'm as certain as I can be that this was a Summer Tanager. For those interested in the location of this bird this morning, take Kiowa Rd north out of Pinewood Springs (off US36) approx 3 miles (go over the bridge and up the road approx .5 miles - the bird was spotted near the road on the north side within Roosevelt Natl Forest).

All the best,
Matt Rodgers
Centennial, CO