Summer Tanager in Northampton in November

Summer Tanager, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Dec 18, 2013 (included to illustrate the species as the individual present in Northampton was not cooperative for any photos and this the closet approximation I have of the bird present in Northampton)

A Summer Tanager showed up in a small yard in Northampton on Saturday the 14th of November (at least that is the first date it was noted).  The initial observer of the bird submitted the sighting with fairly decent details and after a follow up she provided additional details and a marginal photo taken through a screened window which made the sighting even more interesting and credible.  The details seemed to rule out any similar species and the although the photo was not diagnostic it showed a bird that could be a number of species, all of which would be quite unusual. 

I got a text from another great birder and we discussed following up in person on the report and he decided to contact the original observer to check on access and a follow up in person.  She was very gracious and allowed him (and I) to come by to try to relocate it.  Around midday I got a call from him and he had indeed relocated it and heard it call and saw it briefly before the bird disappeared (no photo possible with the brief view).  I figured I would head over myself to try to get a look and get some better documentation.  I arrived in the neighborhood and almost immediately after arriving and getting out of the my car I heard the bird call a few times and then silence.  I quickly called up the original observer and told her I was there and wanted to make sure it was fine to go into the backyard.  She stated the bird was 'just there' and I headed for the backyard where I noticed a bird bopping around in a row of evergreens and one look with binoculars confirmed it was the bird.  It popped in and out of view for several seconds and then abruptly flew off to the west and did not return for the next hour I was there.  The bird appeared to be a first year male with splotchy orange coloration.  I was very happy to see the bird but bummed I missed out on even a documentation shot...the bird was not very photogenic for any of us!  I suspect the bird is feeding on some type of fruiting trees in the area and/or suet feeders.  

After discussion with the observer and a couple other birders we decided to keep the report quiet as the neighborhood is quite built up (and would probably not react well to hordes of people prowling the neighborhood with binoculars and cameras), parking was very limited, access to the area where the bird was seen is on private property and in the backyard of a multifamily house.  In addition the observer was a bit concerned with how neighbors would react to lots of people parading through the neighborhood with the ongoing Covid pandemic.  The bird continued to be seen by the original observer very sporadically through November 19th with just a few widely spaced visits a day to a small birdbath.  I attempted to try to document the species on subsequent visits but the bird never showed during any return stops.

Summer Tanager is a rare visitor to the area and one in November is unprecedented.  In fact there are no records at all in western Massachusetts (in eBird) from September through early spring.  With the sighting of this tanager Hampshire County has hosted three species of tanager this year with the unexpected arrival of a Western Tanager in Amherst in April plus the expected Scarlet Tanagers.  I have previously seen the species just once in the county.