Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana) - 20240211-04
Breeding males are stunning bright yellow with a black back and red head. Females and immature males are duller, sometimes mostly grayish with just faint yellow on the face and undertail coverts. Always note two white wingbars and pale bill. Breeds mainly in coniferous or mixed forests at middle or high elevations. Winters as far south as Central America, where it can be found in any forested habitat. Often stays high in the canopy. Listen for male’s burry song in the spring and summer and short, rising rattle year-round. (eBird)
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A surprise visit to Ottawa this past winter, this male Western Tanager found a home in some woods near downtown Ottawa. The Ottawa Field Naturalists Club went into action and worked with local residents to allow this rare visitor to be seen and admired by the birders and photographers of not just Ottawa but many other eastern Canada and US locations. Food was provided by the club, much to the joy of the tanager and all the other birds and animals in the area. It took us four visits and many hours standing in the snow and ice to finally see him, but as you can see, we finally got really good views. Sadly, just as we were expecting him to return home, he came to an untimely end - not because of the weather, but because of a window strike at the same house where he had originally been discovered. Considering that the house was well away from the feeders, we suspect he had been chased by a raptor. The entire birding community went into mourning for this beautiful and rare visitor to our cold and snowy winter.
McCarthy Woods, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. February 2024.
Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana) - 20240211-04
Breeding males are stunning bright yellow with a black back and red head. Females and immature males are duller, sometimes mostly grayish with just faint yellow on the face and undertail coverts. Always note two white wingbars and pale bill. Breeds mainly in coniferous or mixed forests at middle or high elevations. Winters as far south as Central America, where it can be found in any forested habitat. Often stays high in the canopy. Listen for male’s burry song in the spring and summer and short, rising rattle year-round. (eBird)
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A surprise visit to Ottawa this past winter, this male Western Tanager found a home in some woods near downtown Ottawa. The Ottawa Field Naturalists Club went into action and worked with local residents to allow this rare visitor to be seen and admired by the birders and photographers of not just Ottawa but many other eastern Canada and US locations. Food was provided by the club, much to the joy of the tanager and all the other birds and animals in the area. It took us four visits and many hours standing in the snow and ice to finally see him, but as you can see, we finally got really good views. Sadly, just as we were expecting him to return home, he came to an untimely end - not because of the weather, but because of a window strike at the same house where he had originally been discovered. Considering that the house was well away from the feeders, we suspect he had been chased by a raptor. The entire birding community went into mourning for this beautiful and rare visitor to our cold and snowy winter.
McCarthy Woods, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. February 2024.