Tanagers and More!

Now that spring is feeling a little more like spring, I'm in my typical spring time pattern of fishing after work and birding on my days off (and usually fishing during the evening).  Friday was the first day I had off from work since I bought my new lens that was sunny. Needless to say, I really wanted to play with it.

As I normally do, I checked the Rhode Island year bird site that I keep track of my birds at. I check to see what new species are migrating through and what to keep an eye out for. I noticed that Trustom Pond had both a Summer Tanager and a pair of Scarlet Tanagers on Thursday. I figured there was a shot they might still be around. The Summer Tanager would be a life bird for me if I saw it. If not, Trustom is still a great place to see migrants and to hopefully get pictures.

Right off the bat I saw some bluebirds along the tree line. They played cat and mouse with me. Every time I'd get close enough for a picture they would fly thirty feet down the path. Once in the woods, I came across my first of the year (FOY) Palm Warbler and some Pine Warblers feeding on the ground.

As I approached Osprey Point I ran across Jan St. Jean which is a very good sign. Jan is probably the most famous Rhode Island birder. If you find yourself birding where she chose to bird, then you made a good decision. I passed Jan on the trail and a guy near the bench told me the Summer Tanager had been posing for him. Sure enough, a minute later, I found it.

Man, was this bird awesome. It hung around the trail for almost an hour just letting everyone get pictures of it. It had no fear of people at all. I got some pictures from five feet away. Once I had to duck as it almost flew into my head. 

On top of the Summer Tanagers, there were other good birds at the point. I saw a Cliff Swallow along with Barn and Tree Swallows. There were Purple Martins spotted but I didn't see them. The other highlight at the point was a pair of Scarlet Tanagers. They were fairly close also, but didn't come within five feet like its cousin.

After I finally left Trustom, I went to Great Swamp. The place was dead. I saw a few birds but almost nothing. The best thing I saw was a Killdeer. Killdeer are pretty common, but this one got close to me for some photos.

Many photos below- None of the photos are cropped

Yellow Rumped Warbler

Scarlet Tanager

This gull was standing on the roof of my car when I
returned to it

Killdeer

Three Greater Yellowlegs

Obligatory Trustom Deer Photos

Best Photo I got of a bluebird