My First (and as yet only) AMAZING Bird Story

I have lots of REALLY COOL bird stories and experiences, but I only have one truly AMAZING bird story, and it involves my truly amazing Grandma B. It was in the early 90s and I had taken my mom, dad, and grandma to Sharon Woods for a little birding. My Grandama B, being of the Irish persuasion, was a well-known “lucky lady,” and this was going to be her first birding trip. I remember saying, “if you’re lucky, we will see a Scarlet Tanager because they live here during the summer,” knowing full well they spent most of their time in the canopy and were usually heard but rarely seen. After all, I had been birding there for years and had never seen one, but within 3 seconds of the words leaving my mouth, a Scarlet Tanager flew down and perched on a bush not 3 feet from us at just under eye level. He was there for well over a minute looking at us frozen in our tracks looking at him. Many times I’ve had cool birds light on trees or bushes beside me, and I marvel at their beauty every time, but never a Scarlet Tanager, and never right after I uttered its name. I remember being in total awe, and realizing my grandma had some sort of connection with the big guy, or the big gal, or possibly the big bird, and that being Irish was really a good thing.

...a really quick colored pencil sketch 

of what I remember from that day.

Today would have been grandma’s birthday. Just like me (and Aunt Pat, and Aunt Becky, Aunt Bonnie and Grandpa H), Grandma B was a Pisces, and that always made me feel special. I’m sending this out to The Three Sisters. I’ve gone walking on the trail many times since then, but the Scarlet Tanager has never returned, but every time I reach that spot, I stop and can feel that day and that moment with all of us standing there, amazed, looking at that beautiful bird, and it feels good.