{"id":134920,"date":"2024-09-23T02:42:50","date_gmt":"2024-09-23T07:42:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=134920"},"modified":"2025-09-12T05:51:18","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T10:51:18","slug":"summer-tanager-in-a-pear-tree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/09\/23\/summer-tanager-in-a-pear-tree\/","title":{"rendered":"Summer Tanager In A Pear Tree"},"content":{"rendered":"

I was about to give up on bird photography for the morning yesterday when a gorgeous immature Summer Tanager flew in and landed in a pear tree.<\/p>\n

\"ImmatureImmature Summer Tanager in a pear tree \u2013 Canon R7, handheld, f7.1, 1\/160, ISO 1600, +0.3 EV, Canon 100-400mm at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I quickly stood up, moved across the deck, adjusted my camera settings, and took a few images before the tanager flew away.<\/p>\n

The tanager had a yellowjacket in her or his bill, this species does like to eat things that can sting. I wonder if they ever get stung.<\/p>\n

Summer Tanagers aren’t a lifer for me, but they are still a nemesis bird. This photo is actually the first Summer Tanager image I’ve taken that meets my standards and that I like.<\/p>\n

I’ve taken photos where most of the Summer Tanager was covered by something, too far away, perched too high, or simply ended up with butt shots, until yesterday.<\/p>\n

Now, I hope to take more images of these tanagers before they migrate out of the area!<\/p>\n

\"ImmatureImmature Summer Tanager in a pear tree – Inset \u2013 Canon R7, handheld, f7.1, 1\/160, ISO 1600, +0.3 EV, Canon 100-400mm at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The inset in the image above shows a fleshy gape which is why I believe this is an immature Summer Tanager<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

There is just a spot of orange-colored feathers on the lower cheek of this tanager, which could indicate that it is a young male, or the bird may have eaten a berry that stained those feathers.<\/p>\n

I wouldn\u2019t even hazard a guess as to the bird’s gender, I don\u2019t have enough information or advanced knowledge about this species to determine whether it is a she or a he.<\/p>\n

So let me leave you with this description of this particular tanager: a bright yellowish bird that looks like a highlighter with wings and munches on stinging bugs and juicy berries like it’s at an all-you-can-eat buffet.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my bird photos in their galleries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I was about to give up on bird photography for the morning yesterday when a gorgeous immature Summer Tanager flew in and landed in a pear tree.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":134910,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13950,27,13951,15762],"tags":[970,4897,4620,6375,13931,4067,6583,5536,15769,4104,15768,15767,6761,6762,4427,8018,13966,14441,4193],"class_list":["post-134920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arkansas","category-avian","category-sebastian-county","category-summer-tanagers","tag-autumn","tag-branch","tag-fall","tag-gape","tag-garden","tag-immature","tag-leaves","tag-nemesis","tag-pear-tree","tag-perched","tag-piranga-rubra","tag-summer-tanager","tag-tanager","tag-tanagers","tag-tree","tag-urban","tag-yard","tag-yellowjacket","tag-young"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/summer-tanager-immature-arkansas-mia-mcpherson-3674.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-z68","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":105812,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/09\/02\/young-western-tanager-in-the-wasatch-mountains\/","url_meta":{"origin":134920,"position":0},"title":"Young Western Tanager in the Wasatch Mountains","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"September 2, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday morning I found this young Western Tanager in the Wasatch Mountains after it came out of a Gambel Oak tree to perch out into the open.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Young Western Tanager in the Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/western-tanager-immature-gambels-oak-mia-mcpherson-1134.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/western-tanager-immature-gambels-oak-mia-mcpherson-1134.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/western-tanager-immature-gambels-oak-mia-mcpherson-1134.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/western-tanager-immature-gambels-oak-mia-mcpherson-1134.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":72359,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/08\/02\/an-adult-male-and-immature-western-tanager\/","url_meta":{"origin":134920,"position":1},"title":"An Adult Male And Immature Western Tanager","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 2, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"It was fun to have the male and immature Western Tanager in my viewfinder for a few moments high in the Wasatch Mountains last week. I hope I see more soon.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Immature Western Tanager tilting its head, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/western-tanager-immature-perched-mia-mcpherson-2498.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/western-tanager-immature-perched-mia-mcpherson-2498.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/western-tanager-immature-perched-mia-mcpherson-2498.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/western-tanager-immature-perched-mia-mcpherson-2498.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 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Forest","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 4, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The bright yellow and red of this male Western Tanager caught my eye last May while on a dirt road in the Targhee National Forest in Idaho just south of the Montana state line.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Western Tanager in the Targhee National Forest, Clark County, Idaho","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/western-tanager-male-mia-mcpherson-1796.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/western-tanager-male-mia-mcpherson-1796.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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