When I lived in South Carolina, I was fortunate enough to work at a bird banding station during the summer and fall each year. One of the things I enjoy about banding birds is the opportunity to see each bird up-close. There is always a level of excitement when banding, as you never know what might be in the net when one is approached. I remember pulling out this beautiful summer tanager one spring and being fascinated by its peculiar color pattern. A bee and wasp specialist, the male summer tanager is the only completely red bird in North America. The bright males are easy to spot during the summer months, while the females, usually a dull yellow, are much more conspicuous.

So what’s the deal with the fellow in this picture? Is he/she going through an identity crisis? Not exactly, but he IS going through a significant transition. All summer long tanagers (male and female) develop yellow feathers in their first year of life (called a Hatch Year). This is likely because they are more easily camouflaged in yellow during that vulnerable period of their lives. However, by the time a male summer tanager enters his second year of life, he starts to molt in red feathers to replace the yellow, so that by his third year he is usually exclusively red. That is exactly what is happening in this picture – this second year bird is in between his yellow and red plumage. He is quickly on his way to bird adulthood. 

Whether he is aware of the significant transition he is experiencing or not, I’m not sure, but transitions are common among all creatures, with no exceptions for humans. Of course, biologically, we are always transitioning. In the span of seven years, all of the cells in our bodies are fully replaced. But some moments in our lives bring more metaphysical transitions than others. Just recently, I experienced a birthday, for example, which represents a transition into a new year of life. I have to admit that although I am a fairly adaptable person, I sometimes struggle with transitions. They can be intimidating, uncertain, and frightening. Sometimes we must leave something more familiar and comfortable, in exchange for something unsettled and foreign. Transitions don’t just happen overnight; they take time, and time requires patience and fortitude. Yet in that space of ambiguity, there is opportunity – opportunity for growth or renewal, new beginnings, and new experiences. The young male summer tanager once comfortably hidden in his cloak of yellow suddenly has a brilliant gift of color and new life to share with the world!