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Posted in Atlantic Canada Birding

Scarlet Tanager rare sighting lifer 84 – May 14/15 Hartlen Point

Posted by admin Posted on May 16, 2015
Scarlet Tanager rare sighting lifer 84 – May 14/15 Hartlen Point Posted on May 16, 2015

So the thing about living on a migratory point is that I am blessed with being able to see birds I may otherwise never see.  And on both May 14/15th I had the opportunity to observe a beautiful male Scarlet Tanager at very close range for long periods of time.  I would say he just flow in and was tired enough to not be interested in trying to fly away.  I had a different person with me each day and we all agreed we were not too close to the bird as it was not visibly stressed and also was eating lots of flies so should have some strength to fly off into the woods where we will likely not see it again for the rest of the summer.

The Scarlet Tanager comes to our neck of the woods in the summer to breed, and in the fall will head back to South America!  This chap is in his full breeding colors and no wonder he is a little dopey after a flight like that.

On May 15th in the same Willow Tree at the Hartlen Point Golf Course I also counted 4 kinds of Warblers (Yellow, Yellow-Rumped, Black and White, and Redstart).  Pretty amazing sighting no wonder the locals call it “birdland”.  Card carrying members of the Nova Scotia Bird Society have been able to gain access to this area for years.  We are lucky our Society maintains a good relationship on behalf of it’s members.  You can join the Nova Scotia Bird Society for as little as $20 a year and this is just one reason to join.

Ebird tallies my lifelist for me so I will always remember this was lifer 84 and a spectular one at that.  Later in the day one block from my house I saw a Least Flycatcher.

I am a very new birder but end up seeing a lot of birds that other people don’t get to see because of my location, and also because I work from home a lot of the time and can take my lunch breaks in the great outdoors.

Well without further adieu here is Mr. Handsome.

Scarlet Tanager May 14th not too far down from the clubhouse at Hartlen Point Golfcourse
Scarlet Tanager May 14th not too far down from the clubhouse at Hartlen Point Golfcourse
Scarlet Tanager
Scarlet Tanager

tanager-mike-hartlen-may-15 111

Scarlet Tanager May 15th Hartlen Point Eastern Passage
Scarlet Tanager May 15th Hartlen Point Eastern Passage
Scarlet Tanager May 15th
Scarlet Tanager May 15th

You wouldn’t have to be a birder at all for him to stand out and get your attention what a gem huh?  Mother Nature gets 100% of the credit for the sunlight and great subject matter as always.

Tomorrow I’ll be spending the night in Sable River with family  (near Lockeport) which is close to 4 bird sanctuaries so maybe I’ll get lucky there if I go for a little jaunt.