Hepatic Tanager // Piranga flava // Final Score: 11 // Rarity Class: 3 (Rare) // Conservation Status: Least Concern // eBird Sightings: 95,743 // eBird Photos: 7,642 // Continental Spread: 2 // Zooms: 1 // Story: My first night in Big Bend National Park. I got there and spent about a half hour in awe at the mountains around the Chisos Basin. After I scraped my jaw off the floor, I called my dad and then hiked like a 1/4 mile to get a feel for the area and check out some birds before it got dark. I immediately saw Mexican Jays and Acorn Woodpeckers. I sat down atop a hill and tried to blend in with the bushes around me. After a few moments, this red bird flew into the shrub near me. I initially thought it was some sort of finch, but there are no all red finches in the US. I had never heard of the Hepatic Tanager until I was going through the Audubon app to figure out what it was. This was minted at Plaine, a coffee shop in Alpine, TX. My truck broke down here 9 days ago. I've been getting a lot of minting done. 4/29/22, 6:43 PM