![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/western-tanager-1245-vertical-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"western-tanager-1245-vertical-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nI don’t see Western Tanagers all that often and it’s even more unusual for me to be close to one of these usually spooky birds.<\/p>\n
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1\/4000, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n Four days ago in the Wasatch Mountains this juvenile tanager unexpectedly came out in the open right in front of me so I thought I should at least document the occasion on my blog. ‘His’ prominent gape tells me that this is a young bird.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/4000, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n His behavior, including body language, strongly suggested that the youngster was curious about me and my pickup and that’s the reason he stuck around long enough for me to get quite a few photos. He didn’t give me much pose variety and the poses I did get required a vertical composition, but I’m satisfied that he allowed me to get any photos at all.<\/p>\n There were actually two juvenile tanagers in the bush and I believe I’d have had more chances with them both if a local on a Polaris ATV hadn’t pulled up between me and the tanagers to introduce himself, which scared them off. The timing was unfortunate but he was a nice guy and I’m happy to have met him.<\/p>\n Besides, it’s always a good thing to be on good terms with the locals and this gentleman was easy to like.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Note: <\/em><\/p>\n “Gape<\/strong>: This is a fleshy area at the base of the bill where the upper and lower mandibles meet. In young birds, it is often enlarged or may seem so because the birds have not developed their mature feathers to help conceal it, and it may be brightly colored so their mouths are more noticeable when they beg for food.”<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I don’t see Western Tanagers all that often and it’s even more unusual for me to be close to one of these usually spooky birds. (2 photos)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/western-tanager-1196-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"western-tanager-1196-ron-dudley\\"")
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