I must appologize as it's been a while since I have posted anything in this blog. I have been plagued by personal theft which has left me temporarily without my camera gear.
Here is a shot from my last outing with my camera. It is of the beautiful Western Tanager. Normally you can't get very close to these birds as they tend to spend a great deal of time up in the forest canopy searching for bugs. The male is brightly colored with a yellow body and a red head and has black and white wings and a black tail. To see them for the first time you would think that someone's tropical bird had escaped. You wouldn't be too far wrong to make that assumtion either.
Tanagers originate in South America where they spend the winter. The purpose of coming up to Canada and other northern climates in the summer is for breeding. The Western Tanager Male uses his red pigment to attract the female. Normally in the off season the male is all yellow but when he migrates north he feeds on certain insects in the fir trees that contain a special chemical. This chemical has the effect of turning his head feathers a bright red during mating season. The female picks the male with the reddest head. This ensures that he will be a good provider of insects for the young when they establish their nest. The Tanager pictured here is in post breeding plumage but you can still see remnants of his red pigment closer to his beak.
I'll be back with more picture blog updates once I have my camera gear replaced.
Untill then, take care and enjoy the summer.
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