His body is changing. Happens to all guys. For us, it happens first in the teens, then later on, when age knocks hair off some places and adds it to others. Damned embarrassing.
But this guy’s not embarrassed. He’s not turning red. Just the opposite. He’s turning un-red.
This is something I don’t much like. A Scarlet Tanager owns a pretty cool color. Why mess with a good thing? But, every Fall, these males get mottled with light green, then as they head down to Central America they become light green all over.
Change. Part of the season. You see a molting Scarlet Tanager, and figure: another year.
Just today, I saw six hawks circling overhead. These predators usually hang out alone. But change is in the air; they’re traveling to a different place. Blackbirds are massing near highways. A Caspian Tern spent hours fishing in a local pond. Not exactly the Caspian Sea, or any sea, but the pond had food that a migrating bird needs.
Today’s molting Scarlet Tanager reminded me of a story I meant to write, but probably never will. It’s about a depressed old millionaire who finds an exhausted Scarlet Tanager among fallen leaves.
The bird’s panting, too weak to fly south. The guy scoops it up and phones the airport. He tells them to rev up his jet; they’re going on a trip.
Six hours later the bewildered tanager is released in Costa Rica. Back at his beachfront hotel, our millionaire meets a hot tamale of a babe. They have a torrid affair. In the mornings they eat breakfast in the sun, and the guy’s got fire in his eye. There’s a tanager singing nearby. Is it the one he brought south?
Can’t be sure, but we like to think so.
There’s one other change that we’re dealing with around here. Nothing about birds or story-telling; more of an administrative thing, so bail out right now if you’re not interested. But in case you are:
We changed our email notification system. Those of you who subscribe to Two-Fisted Birdwatcher by clicking “Receive Updates” used to get a brief excerpt announcing every new post.
But glitch happens in the tech world. And some people didn’t get the notices. So we changed to a new system. That explains why your notification about this post looked different. Will it work better? Can’t be sure, but we like to think so.
Thanks for reading. Enjoy the changing season.
I love this time of year in San Diego, Ca. We get some really strange migrants/vagrants winging through here. Last Friday I saw a Scissortail Flycatcher in the nearby grasslands. A truly once in a lifetime bird for these parts.
Hmmm, this got me to thinking, would I rather have my hair turn green or loose it altogether? Tough choice. Great story, a very dynamic time of year indeed, for me its always a welcomed change.