Was he here all along?

Was I blind, but now I see?

Surely, this little guy didn’t just decide to show up THIS year, the year that I decided we will study our local birds. 

At first, he was just a flash of red deep in the woods.  But over the past 2 weeks, he has become bolder and come closer to the house.

I saw him perching outside the kitchen window yesterday with a large-winged insect in his beak.  I’ve even caught flashes of him whizzing by the windows in the family room while reading to the girls.

I believe he is a Scarlet Tanager.

Isn’t he an amazingly beautiful creation?