Where have all the tanagers gone?

Last week's ELIAS visit to Hunter's Garden had more to it than was in my report. The biggest big deal of the day (it was a week ago Wednesday) was this young SUMMER TANAGER, photographed by Vincent Cagno, a relatively new (but sharp) E. Quogue birder. What makes it a Summer Tanager? The big bill for one and the lack of dark wings; also the light-colored upper bill and the slightly crested appearance. I thought I heard someone call out Summer Tanager but I never did see the bird; fortunately, Vin got it on camera. The first-year males, of which this is a fine example, often have a more splotchy plumage but you can see traces of the yellow first-year plumage on this bird and the on-going molt into adult costume can start with the head.

Where have all the tanagers gone? Well they're still here but, no matter what we call 'em, they aren't tanagers anymore. Piranga rubra and all our other U.S. Pirangas (including the Scarlet), are actually now placed in the cardinal family!

The other big item of the day was the presence of large numbers of Barn Swallows, hunting even in the middle of wooded areas but also in bigger numbers over open areas -- farm fields in particular -- seen on the way out. These were undoubtedly migrants headed further north; most of our nesting swallows, no longer in flocks, are settled in, paired off and getting ready to build nests.

Speaking of migrating swallows, the highlight (so to speak) of this morning's ELIAS walk at the Quogue Wildlife Refuge was a flock of Rough-winged Swallows hunting low over the cove near the main entrance. I say 'so to speak' because this was a rainy and sometime blustery day that had few highlights in either the figurative or literal sense of the word. They all appeared as smallish brown birds, white underneath and with a squared-off tail; the tail, the method of flying and the occasional calls all made for aneasy ID (if there was a Bank Swallow mixed in, I did not pick it out). In any case, Rough-wings typically migrate late in the season and in flocks; I have seen them before in numbers feeding over fresh water ponds like the Quogue Ice Pond. How they found any flying insects to feed on in this weather is a mystery but find them they did! 

One other good bird of the morning was emitting a raspy warble from high in the trees bordering the pond. At first I thought it was a Warbling Vireo but it turned out to be an Orchard Oriole which, like the Summer Tanager pictured above, was a first-year male. These oriole have a typical first-year plumage: yellow-green with a black bib. I think that they can breed in this plumage but this bird has yet to learn the sweeter notes of his more talented elders. 

Eric Salzman