Scarlet Tanager and Alder Blossoms

6-1/4 x 11-3/8; Offset Paper; Edition Size 1500; $165.00 U.S.

"Most people I know are suckers for color. It must be a pretty jaded eye that is not perked up
by a male scarlet tanager. The red , which I would call vermilion, rather than scarlet, literally
seems lit from within. It seems to shine even more on dull days. The lively joy of a tree
full of migrating warblers can be eclipsed in a moment when this male tanager comes into view.
As if to compensate for the vivid spectacle of his plumage, this bird's movements are slow,
almost listless and bored. This, of course, is great for admiring birders, in contrast to the
annoying flitty warblers. The song also makes it easy to track down. It is like a loud robin
with a sore throat. The female, although she is undoubtedly more meritorious than the
male, is dull olive and does not sing, so is usually totally ignored."
Robert Bateman