The Scarlet Tanager

The Scarlet Tanager.

 

It is nearly impossible for me to choose 1 bird image from my backyard and say it was my favorite for the year, but if I had to go out on a limb, it would be this one of the Scarlet Tanager I captured in July. I have always hoped to capture a nice image of a mature male in breeding colors and this one morning I had no fewer than 3 males and at least 5 others, including female and immature birds, gleaning insects from the crepe myrtles. The lighting was perfect and this one almost posed for me. They were gleaning Japanese Beetles from the plants and didn’t leave until they had their fill. On that very morning, I felt the pride of how hard we had worked in our yard to prepare it for an upcoming certification as a Wildlife Sanctuary. The striking contrast of red and green really made the image for me as well as the clarity and sharpness of the bird.

 

Tamron SP 150-600mm Di VC USD G2 lens on a Nikon D-500, Manual Exposure mode, f8, ISO 1100, shutter speed of 1/500th of a second, Sirui P424S monopod and L10 head, processed in Lightroom Classic CC. #WithMyTamron, #TamronUSA, #TamronLensesUSA, #TamronImageMaster, #Tamron150600g2, #SiruiUSA, #SiruiProfessional, #BearWoodsPhotography, #BirdNirdvana

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Scarlet Tanager, non-breeding male

Scarlet Tanager, non-breeding male.

 

Yesterday was the biggest birding day that I have had as of yet in the backyard with 35 different species of birds, 11 Warblers! A few eluded the camera for a nice tight shot, mainly the Baltimore Oriole, but the Scarlet Tanagers obliged very well. At one point I had 6 Scarlet Tanagers and 1 Summer Tanager in the Crepe Myrtles at one time! They eat the flowers as well as any insects that they find hiding in them. They aren’t the neatest of eaters either. When they finished munching on flowers their beaks were covered with pink, almost like a bird of prey after just having eaten a bloody meal. I have a nice backlog of images to share, but each day keeps offering up new birds or beautiful opportunities, so hopefully I will catch up on sharing soon.

 

I will be presenting to the Georgia Nature Photographers Association Roswell Chapter next Tuesday, September 11 and would love to see lots of folks there. The topic by request is my presentation on “Nature in America”. The presentation is at the Chattahoochee Nature Center and visitors are welcome. The meetings start at 7 p.m., I look forward to seeing everyone again!

 

Tamron SP 150-600mm Di VC USD G2 lens on a Nikon D-500, Manual Exposure mode, f8, ISO 640, shutter speed of 1/125th of a second, Sirui P224S monopod and L10 head, processed in Lightroom Classic CC. #WithMyTamron, #TamronUSA, #TamronLensesUSA, #TamronUSAMagazine, #TamronImageMaster, #Sirui, #SiruiUSA, #SiruiImaging, #SiruiProfessional, #BirdNirdvana

The Pest Control folks are here

The Pest Control folks are here.

 

In our commitment to attracting wildlife and being better stewards to our land, we eliminated the use of pesticides and herbicides in the yard. Our plan brought in more insects, which in turn brought in the birds who eat them. The Scarlet Tanagers are regular visitors to the yard and the shrubs and trees. This one timed it perfect with the light striking the trees in the background creating an incredible backdrop for the beautiful bird. Between the Vireos, Tanagers and Warblers, they do a really good job of keeping the insects in check around the gardens.

 

Tamron SP 150-600mm Di VC USD G2 lens on a Nikon D-500, Manual Exposure mode, f8, ISO 720, shutter speed of 1/125th of a second, Sirui P224S monopod and L10 head, processed in Lightroom Classic CC. #WithMyTamron, #TamronUSA, #TamronLensesUSA, #TamronImageMaster, #Sirui, #SiruiUSA, #SiruiImaging, #SiruiProfessional, #BirdNirdvana

No doubt on this one

No doubt on this one.

 

I have recently posted two images of male Scarlet Tanagers that were in non-breeding colors, but this is what we all think of when we think of a Scarlet Tanager. Vivid red color with black wings. Yesterday was the first day that I was able to photograph a male in this plumage in the Crepe Myrtles. The beautiful greens contrasting with the reds of the bird, perfect in my eyes. I know one image that will definitely make the calendar this year! To think that simply not using pesticides and allowing the birds to pick the insects off the plants, that I could be less than 20 feet from this beautiful bird was exactly why we chose the route we did with our yard. Right now they are feasting on big green beetles. We had 3 Tanagers in the Crepe Myrtles at one point together yesterday.

 

Tamron SP 150-600mm Di VC USD G2 lens on a Nikon D-500, Manual Exposure mode, f8, ISO 1100, shutter speed of 1/500th of a second, Sirui P224S monopod and L10 head, processed in Lightroom Classic CC. #WithMyTamron, #TamronUSA, #TamronLensesUSA, #TamronImageMaster, #Sriui, #SiruiUSA, #SiruiImaging, #SiruiProfessional, #BirdNirdvana

My Tanager Puzzle

My Tanager Puzzle.

 

So yesterday morning I photographed what I thought was a Scarlet Tanager male in non-breeding plumage. When I got it on the computer though I noticed on the wings there were 2 wing bars of yellow. Problem is, Scarlet Tanagers have only one! So I did a little research and found that a Western Tanager Female has 2 wing bars. This is so far east of the normal territory of Western Tanagers that I decided to send it out to some very knowledgeable friends, who also sent it out to a friend. One asked if I had a photo of the back of the bird, which I did, I always try to photograph the backs for possible sale to books for ID use. I sent that to them and they decided it was indeed a Scarlet Tanager, just with an interesting second wing band. I had mixed emotions about that identification. I thought it would be really cool to have a rare bird stop by, but then I thought about the movie “Field of Dreams” and the long lines of people coming to see the field. That is what a lot of birders will do when they learn of a rare sighting. I felt that would seriously cramp my morning routine…

 

Tamron SP 150-600mm Di VC USD G2 lens on a Nikon D-500, Manual Exposure mode, f8, ISO 2500, shutter speed of 1/125th of a second, Sirui P224S monopod and L10 head, processed in Lightroom Classic CC. #WithMyTamron, #TamronUSA, #TamronLensesUSA, #TamronImageMaster, #Sirui, #SiruiUSA, #SiruiImaging, #SiruiProfessional, #BirdNirdvana

Scarlet Tanager

Scarlet Tanager.

 

I will get a lot of folks that will look at this and say it can’t be a Scarlet Tanager, but it is! When these birds are in their breeding plumage, they are bright scarlet, and when they are in non-breeding plumage they are yellow. When they are molting and in between, well they can be both. Some breeding males will have both yellow and red, even a little orange, but in a few weeks this guy will be all yellow. He will make his flight to the south wearing his yellow travel suit! As you can see he has a mouthful of fat juicy insect. My natural pest control solution here in Bear Woods.

 

Tamron SP 150-600mm Di VC USD G2 lens on a Nikon D-500, Manual Exposure mode, f8, ISO 1250, shutter speed of 1/160th of a second, Sirui P224S monopod and L10 head, processed in Lightroom Classic CC. #WithMyTamron, #TamronUSA, #TamronLensesUSA, #TamronImageMaster, #Sirui, #SiruiUSA, #SiruiImaging, #SiruiProfessional, #BirdNirdvana

Natural Insect Control

Natural Insect control.

 

Tonight I am doing lecture for the Griffin Chapter of the Georgia Nature Photographers Association on things we have done here in our yard that not only improves my photography but makes it a more natural order in life. I am doing a version of this lecture in Jackson, WY Sunday as well. It is titled “Avoiding a Silent Spring” and is how we have taken to heart some of the subjects that were talked about in Rachel Carson’s book “Silent Spring”. One of the points was how widespread we humans treated and still treat for Japanese Beetles. We treat the plants and soil with chemicals, but to no avail. Here in Bear Woods, we don’t treat with any chemicals, we use a product called Scarlet Tanager. The Tanagers love eating the beetles and I simply sit on the porch and photograph them as they come in for their meals. This will start to occur around the end of June, beginning of July and continue for a few weeks. We have slowly, 4 or 5 years, worked on returning many parts of our property to more natural settings and in doing so attracted a tremendous amount of migratory birds. My presentation talks about our efforts and how we have set up bird photography studios to capture the beauty of the visitors we have attracted. I will show lots of pretty pictures of the birds and help to give you ideas of how to do some simple common sense things to do the same, regardless of the size of your yard. It will be worth the time for you if you simply love seeing beautiful birds, photographing them, or just simply want to make your yard a safer, chemical free place to live.

 

Tamron SP 150-600mm Di VC USD G2 lens on a Nikon D-500, Manual Exposure mode, f8, ISO 1000, shutter speed of 1/125th of a second, Sirui P424S monopod and L10 head, processed in Lightroom Classic CC. #WithMyTamron, #TamronUSA, #TamronLensesUSA, #TamronImageMaster, #Sirui, #SiruiUSA, #SiruiProfessional