As an aside, the Summer Tanager is so called because in the south 
Cardinals are called "red-birds", and so too were the superficially 
-similar Summer Tanagers; so to distinguish them they were specified as 
"winter red-bird" and "summer red-bird" (i.e. the one not present in the 
winter).

Gerald & Laura Tarbell wrote:

> I don't think there is any doubt that a lot of names for birds are
> headscratchers. They can be confusing and downright misleading. It was
> brought home to me the time I spotted a nice bird along the Gunpowder from
> the North Central bike trail. A biker came by and asked what I was looking
> at. "A Louisiana Waterthrush," I replied.
>     "Really?" he asked. "What's it doing up here?"
>     And this is only the tip of the iceberg. Let's face it - any Connecticut
> Warbler ever spotted in Connecticut was lost. You would expect to hear
> banjos and fiddles with maybe a steel guitar break in the middle every time
> a Tennessee or Nashville Warbler sings. Instead we get something with a
> distinctly Canadian accent. Has anybody ever spotted a Magnolia Warbler in a
> magnolia? Maybe for three seconds on his way thru in migration. Even my
> little Acadian buddy is a candidate. His name sounds like he ought to be
> confined to a small peninsula on the coast of Maine.
>     All this brings me to this morning's excursion to Soldiers Delight. Of
> course I was hoping maybe a Summer Tanager would still be hanging around.
> Back in May and June, it wasn't hard to find them singing from an open
> perch. I spent about a week wandering around the place this morning and
> couldn't find a thing. Any still present were off in the brush quietly
> molting. Wouldn't it make more sense to call it the Spring Tanager? That's
> when they sing to us and even picky their tuck just to let us know they're
> here. In summer we get silence. I vote for renaming it. Somebody notify he
> AOU.
>     As for Soldier's Delight, when is the last time anybody spotted a
> delighted soldier there? Maybe it's time to rename that, too. Anybody for
> Birder's Delight?
>     Jerry
> 

-- 
Fred Fallon
Bowie MD