The Scarlet Letter

A male Vermilion Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus) greets visitors to Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Texas. In this shot, it was perched on what... more

by Gary Holmes

Title

The Scarlet Letter

Artist

Gary Holmes

Medium

Photograph

Description

A male Vermilion Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus) greets visitors to Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Texas. In this shot, it was perched on what appeared to be a capital A, hence the title. The intense red color of this bird has a dayglow effect that makes a male cardinal pale in comparison. I had never seen one of these before, but had the opportunity to photograph two different birds, on a tip from another photographer I met at the refuge that day, Norman Welsh (http://www.normsfstop.com). He is a really fine photographer who deserves a visit to his site. These birds typically summer in Mexico, the Rio Grande valley, and southwestern Texas, but move to the south and central gulf coast of Texas during the winters. They are typical flycatchers in their behavior, perching high in trees and dashing out, hovering and twirling to catch flying insects before flying back to the same perch, over and over.

Uploaded

January 30th, 2013