Unbknowst to me!!

[tazmainiendigger]

Hi all! Since this is collectors chat page maybe someone out there knows what kind of bird this is??? Wendy and I where working around the yard today burning brush to be exact.... A pair of these birds came in from the forest and hung around the fire, picking up grubs and worms.... They are quite unafraid you can pick them up and they just seem to hang around. They are about the size of a sparrow, even the humming birds came to check out these fellows... they musta liked that red color.... I looked up scarlet tanager on the web but they dont seem to fit the "bill" lol no pun intended! Seems like only adult male tanagers turn red at mating time and the young which these appear to be are a browish-green??? Anyone know ??? Taz

 

[Ye Olde Prospector]

Hi Taz,
I have a book "Birds of Maine, Field Guide" by Stan Tekiela that has excellent color photos of Maine birds. His male Scarlet Tanager picture looks identical to the one you took. There are about 240 species of Tanagers in the world so the ones on the web might not be the ones we would see here in Maine. He says they winter in South America but nest up here in the Summer. They probably are just arriving here and the cold wet wx we have been having has them exhausted. Probably attracted to warmth of your brush burning. Pretty sure Scarlet Tanager is correct ID though.

Cliff

 

[Trying not to break it]

hi taz, i collect lenox birds. it sure looks like my scarlet tanager to me. rhona