Or maybe I should say… butterbilled.
1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
Yesterday morning in the mountains I spent some time with this immature Western Tanager as “she” was enjoying a snack of serviceberries. This species feeds mostly on insects but when fruits become available they’ll take advantage of them and the serviceberries are finally beginning to ripen up.
She wasn’t swallowing whole fruits. Instead her technique seemed to be to mash them up in her bill and swallow the juicy portions that squeezed into her mouth.
1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
Several times after mashing the berry she rotated it in her bill by giving it a toss but each time she…
1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
managed to catch it again…
1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
until she didn’t. This time her risky technique didn’t work and she dropped it.
1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
Her reaction to the falling berry seemed to indicate that dropping it wasn’t in her game plan. It was still only half eaten so I strongly doubt she dropped it intentionally. Her only consolation was the juicy bit of berry that remained in her mouth.
A minor event in the life of a berry-eating bird but I’m happy to have captured it. I’m always interested in the little things in the lives of birds.
Ron
Catching up now that school started for me. Great series, many birds will eat berries that way. the suck out the juice and spit out the seeds and skin. I would think a lot of nutrients would be in the skin. Maybe they just like the juicy sweet drink?
Very good shots.
Thanks, Martha.
The fact that she managed to catch it multiple times shows that she is much less butterfingered/billed than I am. I do hope there were planty of others to replace the one she dropped. And, if she was a cat (or some people I know) she would tell you she meant to do that. It wasn’t as good as the last one.
Great series.
And yes, I would take the berry over the donut too.
There were quite a few other ripe ones, EC. However they do ripen in a strange pattern so many of them are still far from ripe.
I can just hear her saying, “Aw, nerts!” Interesting coinkidinky that two posts in a row had animals losing out on food. Yesterday’s fox shots were stunning!
I will admit to being an odd duck by not immediately going for the chocolate donut if there are exceptional berries around (although berries AND chocolate do make an excellent pairing).
I should eat more fruits, Marty. Never been much of a fan of most of them though.
Just cover them in chocolate or stick ’em between two pie crusts. You’ll be amazed how much fruit you can get in that way. 😂😎
Most fruit I get is from jam.
I’ll have to try the Tanager’s technique for eating serviceberries; first I better grow a beak. The skin’s not so good but the pulp is delicious. Thanks to you and the Tanager for the tip. Oddly, I have one serviceberry in my yard that is just flowering – months after all the others. Nature never fails to surprise.
That’s weird about your late serviceberry, Lyle.
I’ve never tasted them. That may change soon.
Great photo series Ron. Too funny that she dropped it. Did she make any attempt to retrieve it? Probably a lot easier to go grab another than try to find that one. Donuts are definitely not healthier than fruits – especially chocolate ones, but there have to be exceptions made for very early morning mountain feathered photographers. 🙂
Nope, she made no attempt, Everett. As you allude to it would have been more work to do that than to just grab another one. Besides, she’d have had a hard time getting to it through all the grass and other vegetation below her.
Sensational series Ron!
Charlotte
Thanks, Charlotte.
Love watching birds chow down on berries! It’s a beautiful time of year here and the birds are having a smorgasbord! Thanks for sharing these lovely photos. Great light!
Where I’ve been shooting their smorgasbord is just beginning. Thanks, Joanne.
Fun and funny! 🙂 Messy eating no question……perhaps the skin is tough/bitter? Guessing berries after chocolate wouldn’t taste too good.;) Chocolate trumps just about anything….. 🙂 Berries of many types are scarce this year after the awful winter and late freeze tho there are some chokecherries and buffalo berries coming on and still available. My raspberry patch is pretty well cleaned out…. 🙁 May be an early fall – getting “Labor Day quiet” in the yard already………..
Berries are hard to predict around here, Judy. Last year was incredibly dry, including spring, but we had bumper crops of all kinds of wild berries. This year with a very wet winter and spring berries are much reduced. Go figure…
Think sometimes that with drought the trees/berries think they better reproduce in a hurry since it may be their last chance. Last year green ash over did on seed production and nothing this year…….
Priceless, Ron! I wonder if there’s a “five second rule” for Western Tanagers? Thanks again for a beautiful start to the day.
Good question, Diane. I’ve seen birds drop to the ground to retrieve dropped food and a time or two even try to catch it before it hits the ground.
As I’ve aged my personal 5 second rule has extended to at least 30 seconds. If it’s a chocolate donut there is no rule…
‘Darn’ she thought ‘I didn’t want to do that’! Very nice series! Doesn’t she make it look delicious. I’m always intrigued by the fact that your service berries are are just ripening now. Ours have been long gone…a good month or so. I’m very saddened by the fact that my very large serviceberry tree was taken out by the storm we had…snapped off completely! It’s been a favorite for robins, cedar-wax wings, finches…so many birds. I’ll miss enjoying the feasts they all had.
“Doesn’t she make it look delicious”
She sure does, Kathy. In fact we were even considering popping a few of them in our mouths yesterday but my chocolate donut quieted that craving down. Aren’t donuts healthier than fruits anyway…
These serviceberries are in the mountains at about 6400′ so that’s probably why they’re late compared to yours.
I don’t blame you for lamenting the loss of your serviceberry bush!