Summer Tanager

There have been many instances where I have almost seen this bird on my various outings. The closest I have been before confirming this sighting was on a walk at the OSU botanical gardens. I swear I was chasing down this bird for at least an hour - and I was so focused that I almost missed a pileated woodpecker way higher up in the trees. I gave up that day after seeing a much bigger and (in my eyes) rarer bird.

My first confirmed sighting of the Summer Tanager was on a walk around Lake Thunderbird with my buddy Takoma. We finishd a 6 mile (maybe less? Can't remember) trail and were getting back to the car when I saw a solitary one in a tree right by my car! I got so excited that I went up to an old couple that was probably getting ready to go on the trail and pointed to it like a crazy person trying to convince them to have a look. They were not impressed and left lol. Fun fact about this bird: it is the only bird in North America with fully red plumage.