IBRC 62-B-11

Idaho Bird Records Committee
Rarities Report Form

SPECIES: Summer Tanager    
NUMBER OBSERVED: 1 male.  One of the reasons I went to see this bird is someone reported ossibly seeing two different individuals and we tried unsuccessfully to locate a second bird.  We also later compared photos taken by different photographers and/or different days and decided there was never a second individual present.

REPORTER:
Cliff Weisse
4125 Beaver Springs Rd.
Island Park, ID 83429
cliffandlisa@octobersetters.com

OTHER OBSERVERS: Bill Scheiss, rubybreleigh@yahoo.com; Darren Clark, clarkd@byui.edu; Steve Butterworth, tntbutters@cableone.net;

DATE OF OBSERVATION: 19 June 2011
DATE REPORT PREPARED: 25 November 2011

LOCALITY OF OBSERVATION: Market Lake WMA, in the west shelter belt at the north eind of the marshes.
HABITAT: Shelter Belt adjacent to cattail marsh and surrounded by farms and/or shrub/steppe.
CONDITIONS:  Don't remember.

DID YOU TAKE NOTES?… No
DID YOU CONSULT A FIELD GUIDE OR OTHER REFERENCE WORK? No

DESCRIPTION: I did not take notes and don't remember anything specific about this bird but the photos (taken on a different day) show a typical first year male Summer Tanager with a mix of red/yellow/olive contour plumage with yellowish edging on primaries, secondaries, and rectrices and there are no wing bars.  The bill is larger and paler than on Western or Scarlet Tanager.
BEHAVIOR: The bird was actively foraging and allowed close approach.

HOW AND WHEN DID YOU POSITIVELY IDENTIFY THE BIRD AND WHAT CLINCHED THE ID FOR YOU?  The bird had been reported previously and I recognized it immediately when I saw it.  
HOW DID YOU ELIMINATE SIMILAR SPECIES AND WHAT WERE THEY?  Western Tanager has wing bars, Scarlet has black wings lacking pale edging.  Both have smaller bills.

EXPERIENCE WITH THIS SPECIES: I've seen a handful in Idaho and Missouri, one female, one adult male and the rest immature males.
GENERAL BIRDING EXPERIENCE: 18 years

WERE PHOTOS, VIDEO, AND/OR AUDIO OBTAINED BY YOU?  No.  Photos below were taken by Bill Scheiss (Bill found the bird) late in the afternoon on 16 June 2011.