![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/western-tanager-4909b-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"western-tanager-4909b-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nA species I’ve had very little luck with this year but yesterday morning my track record with them ticked up a little higher.<\/p>\n
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1\/5000, f\/5.6, 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<\/em><\/p>\n While waiting for at least one of the kingfishers to show up (didn’t happen) several Western Tanagers made an appearance in a nearby tree. This male stayed long enough for a few photos and I chose to post this one because I like the somewhat inquisitive pose. He appears to be going out of breeding plumage but he’ll always have some of that distinctive red on his face.<\/p>\n Typical of me I was set up for a takeoff shot but the odds of getting one I liked were against me. I much prefer takeoff and flight shots where the bird is moving laterally to me (to my right or left) but I realized that those two vertical twigs on either side of the bird were likely to prevent that from happening. The tanager was far more likely to turn on his perch and take off away from me (another butt shot) or take off coming at me.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/4000, f\/5.6, 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<\/em><\/p>\n He chose the latter.<\/p>\n It’s different but I still like the photo. I was lucky enough to get light on his face and in his eye, his head is acceptably sharp and I like his trailing black legs and feet well-centered between the vertical twigs. I’ll admit to some surprise that his wingtips aren’t sharper at this shutter speed – it doesn’t appear to be a depth of field issue.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n This immature tanager was in the tree at the same time as the male and is likely his offspring. I almost didn’t include this photo because that shadow on the tail aggravates me to no end but I figured I should document the presence of the youngster. At times this young bird was begging for food but I didn’t see it in time to get any photos of the begging behavior.<\/p>\n This bird photographer needs better eyes.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A species I’ve had very little luck with this year but yesterday morning my track record with them ticked up a little higher.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/western-tanager-4930b-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"western-tanager-4930b-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/western-tanager-4951-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"western-tanager-4951-ron-dudley\\"")
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