scarlet tanager – Lee Duigon

Scarlet Tanager | National Geographic

I doughnt know haow It hapend, butt I wowned Up “in” this heer semmanar it “is awl abuot” Nachure, witch is aminals and berds And stuph!!

Did yiu know that moast berds they “are” Gay??? Its trooe!!!! The prefesser he sayed So!!! Lyke that thare berd in the pixture, “witch is” cawled The Scarlit Teenager (I doughnt Know “wye”!”), this heer Berd it is Not ownly Gay, “it” is aslo Trans!!!!! Some Hater sayed that wuzznt Trooe,, so sicks of Us we beet himb Up!!!!!

This heer Berd it groes up To-be a Teenage Berd and thenn “it” Stopps!!!!!! So do Rackoons! Thay are so Gay, it issnt Funy!!! But in facked–the Prefesser he sayed so!!!!!!–Moast Berds “and” annamules thay are awl Gay!!!! That “is” Nachure’s whey!!!!!! I was Thincking of becumming Trans,, butt thay whanted to “chopp off” my Moth Antenners so I runned awhay!!!! I was affrayed they Mite “whant to” chopp off sumb other things tooo!!!

Izznt “it” amayzing,, “the” stuph we lern In Collidge??!!

Scarlet tanager's startling red flash like fireworks in the forest | On the Wing | bayjournal.com

Instead of getting my hands dirty with the nooze, which will still be there tomorrow–and they will have added to it–let’s have a look at something beautiful. A scarlet tanager, for instance.

I have seen this bird in the wild only once in my life, when I was 12 years old at Y camp. Its range supposedly includes New Jersey, and you’d think such a vividly colored bird would stand out and be easy to see–nevertheless, I never see them. Mostly we have sparrows and starlings.

In an odd way, I’m kind of glad the scarlet tanager so rarely takes the stage. It’d be a shame to take something so beautiful for granted. If I see a goldfinch once a year, I count it a blessing. And I have yet to see a bluebird.

It’s something to look forward to: and nothing in the nooze can match it.