{"id":72686,"date":"2020-08-15T06:39:34","date_gmt":"2020-08-15T12:39:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=72686"},"modified":"2025-09-08T09:21:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T14:21:08","slug":"western-tanager-photos-from-this-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/08\/15\/western-tanager-photos-from-this-week\/","title":{"rendered":"Western Tanager Photos From This Week"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Western<\/span><\/div>

Western Tanager with tongue showing \u2013 <\/em>Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/2000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

On four out of five trips up into the Wasatch Mountains<\/span><\/a> this week I’ve been able to take images of immature and female Western Tanagers. I also saw these tanagers on the fifth day but they were too far away to take quality images.<\/p>\n

On one of the mornings was able to photograph a young tanager perched on some very bleached out branches against a dark background up close but those bright branches ruined those images for me.<\/p>\n

The only Western Tanagers I have seen recently are immature and females so I’ve wondered if the males have already left the area and are now migrating south.<\/p>\n

Click the first image below to start a slide show or use your mouse to scroll through them at your own pace.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"Western<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Young<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
\"Western<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Young<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
\"Western<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"East<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Although male Western Tanagers are more colorful even when they aren’t in breeding plumage I enjoy seeing and photographing the immature and females of this species. I find their more subtle beauty especially appealing.<\/p>\n

The serviceberries and chokecherries are ripe and juicy now in the high country and the Western Tanagers along with many other birds are feasting on the juicy fruits and berries.<\/p>\n

I know that the Western Tanagers will soon be winging their way to warmer climates for the winter so I have felt a need to take as many photos of them and the other migrant birds that come to the Wasatch Mountains to nest and breed as I can.<\/p>\n

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

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Western Tanager photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On four out of five trips up into the Wasatch Mountains this week I’ve been able to take images of immature and female Western Tanagers<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"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":[27,5921,4594,1731,26,773,2126],"tags":[6605,6666,3940,6754,6531,4070,4067,4069,4104,4103,7289,6698,2315,6761,6762,5185,4102,902,4193],"class_list":["post-72686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-avian","category-east-canyon","category-morgan-county","category-summit-county-utah","category-utah","category-wasatch-mountains","category-western-tanager-tanagers","tag-berries","tag-berry","tag-canyon","tag-chokecherries","tag-chokecherry","tag-female","tag-immature","tag-mountains","tag-perched","tag-piranga-ludoviciana","tag-serviceberries","tag-serviceberry","tag-summer-3","tag-tanager","tag-tanagers","tag-tongue","tag-western-tanager","tag-willows","tag-young"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-iUm","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":102638,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/05\/25\/female-western-tanager-perched-on-a-juniper\/","url_meta":{"origin":72686,"position":0},"title":"Female Western Tanager Perched On A Juniper","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 25, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday morning I spent time photographing a female Western Tanager perched on a juniper in a canyon out in the sky island mountains of the West Desert of Utah.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Female Western Tanager perched on a juniper, West Desert, Tooele County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/western-tanager-adult-female-juniper-mia-mcpherson-8495.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/western-tanager-adult-female-juniper-mia-mcpherson-8495.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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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":53916,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/09\/02\/female-western-tanager-in-morgan-county-utah\/","url_meta":{"origin":72686,"position":2},"title":"Female Western Tanager in Morgan County, Utah","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"September 2, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"On August 24th I had an opportunity to photograph this female Western Tanager out in the open perched on a Utah Serviceberry for a second or two.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Female Western Tanager in a Serviceberry, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/western-tanager-female-mia-mcpherson-9149.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-female-mia-mcpherson-9149.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/western-tanager-female-mia-mcpherson-9149.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/western-tanager-female-mia-mcpherson-9149.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":72686,"position":3},"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 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":20853,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/03\/04\/western-tanager-in-the-targhee-national-forest\/","url_meta":{"origin":72686,"position":4},"title":"Western Tanager in the Targhee National 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, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/western-tanager-male-mia-mcpherson-1796.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":89384,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/05\/29\/male-western-tanager-close-up-image\/","url_meta":{"origin":72686,"position":5},"title":"Male Western Tanager Close Up Image","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 29, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Two days ago I had the opportunity to photograph a male Western Tanager up close in the foothills of some of the sky island mountains in the West Desert of Utah.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male Western Tanager close up, West Desert, Tooele County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/western-tanager-male-close-up-mia-mcpherson-3722.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-male-close-up-mia-mcpherson-3722.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/western-tanager-male-close-up-mia-mcpherson-3722.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/western-tanager-male-close-up-mia-mcpherson-3722.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72686"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72686\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}