Date: 4/28/25 10:33 am From: Harry Armistead <harryarmistead...> Subject: [MDBirding] Western Tanager in Talbot County
WESTERN TANAGER, immature and/or female, RIGBY’S FOLLY, FERRY NECK, TALBOT COUNTY, MARYLAND, SATURDAY, APRIL 19, 2025, by my wife Liz (Mary E.) Armistead.
BACKGROUND: Son, George, and I were on a visit to Blackwater N.W.R. c. 8:45 - c. 2 P.M. On our return wife Liz mentioned she had seen a predominantly yellowish bird with wing bars and didn’t know what it was. In my exhaustion, in the midst of a very busy weekend with family and guests, I said and thought: “Probably ‘just’ a goldfinch” and let it go at that. The next day, after things had quieted down some, Liz started to fill me in more, leading me to consider she had seen something of interest. What follows is a description of the bird I recorded using her own words.
TIME: c. 11:30
OPTICS: Eagle brand, 8 X 35.
DISTANCE: less than 100 feet, had to focus down with the binoculars. less than 15 feet up in a black locust. Seen from the house’s back porch.
WINGS: blackish with white wingbars.
SIZE: 7”-8”
LENGTH OF OBSERVATION: c. 1 minute, then flew away, direct flight. [At such low altitude Orchard Orioles often have a herky jerky flight manner. - HTA] Although a short period of observation, because Liz suspected she might be onto something unusual she was able to double check most of the field marks reported here.
GENERAL PLUMAGE: overall yellowish but less brighter yellow on the back.
BILL: longer, but “fatter” (thicker than those of some other birds present), but not thick like a finch’s bill. [a good field mark to help eliminate any orioles, that have more spiky bills than tanagers.-HTA]
VOCALIZATIONS: none.
WEATHER: fair, bird not backlit, winds moderate. [Observer facing to the northeast long after sunrise. - HTA]
LEGS & FEET: not seen.
TAIL: unremarkable. normal, rather broad and not-very-long tail.
CONSULTED: Nat. Geog. guide soon afterwards.
AFTERWARDS: In that afternoon, all day the next (Sunday), and part of Monday morning: no evidence of the bird. Since the bird apparently flew away and was not subsequently seen I didn’t send out any notice for others who might have wanted to “chase” such a rarity, it being a presumed “one day wonder”.
RECENT STATUS OF WETA IN THE REGION: This is a new yard bird for our property and new for the”yard” proper as well. In recent years there has been an increase of WETA reports in the region, esp. in winter. 3 of the 7 or so records in the Maryland “Yellow Book”, 3rd ed., 1996, are from late April. Only 5 spring records in the Virginia “Gold Book”, 4th ed. 2007, and I have seen 2 of the reports in winter - HTA).
A FLY IN THE OINTMENT is the close similarity of WETA to Orchard Oriole, immatures or females in either case. The bill seen by Liz was thicker than an OROR’s bill, which is rather spiky. Also the WETA tail was not as proportionately long and skinny as an OROR’s tail. Finally the flight manner of an OROR differs:
“At a distance, the jerky flight of Orchard Oriole will give away its presence … the small size and general colouration may also suggest a female Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana) … However, the tanager has a shorter and stouter bill … “. p. 213, New World Blackbirds: the Icterids by Alvaro Jaramillo and Peter Burke (Princeton U. Pr., 1999).
It’s always a little dicey when someone, more experienced, helps report something unusual seen by one’s spouse. In this case I tried not to put words into Liz’s description. There’s also a tendency to, initially, be in denial when you or someone else sees something rare. This was the case with both of us here.
Respectfully submitted. - Henry (“Harry”) T. Armistead, Bellevue, MD and Philadelphia, PA.
date: April 22, 2025.
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