Scarlet Tanagers at Ashbridge’s Bay Park In Toronto

After hearing about the scores of different bird species being seen at Ashbridge’s Bay Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, one spring, we got up early one morning in mid-May to check out the lakeside park where hundreds of birds often rest after crossing Lake Ontario.  As luck would have it, we came upon two Scarlet Tanagers near the park’s parking lot.

Two bird species, in particular, were on our list of hopeful sightings that day, one being scarlet tanagers and the other being indigo buntings. The morning had slipped by without a sight of either species, and then, there, when we went for lunch, were two male Scarlet Tanagers foraging in the grass beneath a huge deciduous tree.

Scarlet Tanager males in breeding plumage are a stunning crimson red with jet-black wings and tail. Despite their brilliance, these birds are considered very difficult to see since they usually remain high up in the forest canopy.  So we were very lucky to see them out in the open on the ground.

Upon spotting the second Scarlet Tanager that apparently came to join the first one, we noticed a variation in the colour of the plumage. It appeared to be a first year male with colouring that is not fully developed. 

Scarlet Tanagers are usually only found foraging on the ground on a cold, wet day, and indeed, the conditions had suddenly changed from a clear, sunny sky to leaden grey clouds and intermittent showers.  The thunderstorm hanging on the western horizon was ushered in our direction by chilly breezes, hence our decision to go for lunch.

It was utterly shocking to see the Scarlet Tanagers hanging off the side of a tree trunk like some nuthatch or woodpecker as they scoured the crevices for insects. We had never expected them to exhibit such behaviour.  

It is usually flying insects such as bees or hornets, moths or butterflies, beetles, grasshoppers and dragonflies that make up the diet of the Tanagers, but perhaps they were finding spiders hidden in the bark’s nooks and crannies.  

While we photographed the two male Scarlet Tanagers, we caught a glimpse of a yellowish-green bird in the tree’s outstretched branches. We were thrilled that it was a female Scarlet Tanager.

In the blink of an eye, the female also moved to eat on the ground.  

The female remained on the scene for a mere couple of minutes, so we turned our attentions back to the showy males.

Scarlet Tanagers are found during breeding season in deciduous and mixed forests of eastern North America where they favour combined pine and oak woodlands.  By mid-summer, some of this species begin moving south again, and the last of them will have departed for warmer climes by early October.

As we soon learned, the best opportunity to see a Tanager is if it happens to perch on a dead tree limb or moves to sit onto the ground.

In hindsight, Bob and I are thankful for the impending storm that day as it resulted in the closeup view of the Scarlet Tanagers. As fate would have it, we had had a grand morning of bird watching.

Frame To Frame – Bob and Jean