Western Tanager at the Lion’s Den in Ozaukee County Wisconsin on May 22, 2018

With only a couple hours available today for birding, I thought I would give the male Western Tanager a try that was reported yesterday at the Lion’s Den in Ozaukee County. I arrived at 5:15 am with heavy fog and very little light. The images show that. After about 30 minutes walking along the bluff and different  areas, I spotted the Western Tanager on a bluff trail. This species is well out out of it’s normal range. Typically I think we get 1 or 2 in the state each year but their presence is usually short lived with a day visit. A male Scarlet Tanager was usually within the area of the Western Tanager. They both actively feed while I was present for a few minutes I was there as I had to head back home. A cool life bird that I did not have on my life list for Wisconsin yet. Life bird #339 for the state. Sorry for the poor quality of the images, but I tried to capture some of the action to share. A gloomy early morning at the park with heavy fog, little light, but temps where mild, so that was a good thing. Thanks to the finder of this bird and for those who got the word out for others to see it. Images were taken on May 22, 2018.

Western Tanager, the male in the fog…

Western Tanager

Binomial name: Piranga ludoviciana

Category: Piranga Tanagers and Allies

Size: 7” long, 11.5” wingspan

Weight: .98 Oz

Note: Normal range for this species is Wyoming and west.

With a gnat…

Looking for a gnat…

Going for a gnat…

Getting the gnat…

Tagged . Bookmark the permalink.

About admin

Window to Wildlife features the photography of Jim Edlhuber. A lifelong native of Wisconsin, Jim has been photographing wildlife for 20 years. He considers himself an avid photographer and is always trying to capture nature and wildlife through his lens. He is in several photography clubs and has won numerous awards for his work. In recent years, Jim has focused mostly on birding photography and finds it to be the most challenging.

7 Responses to Western Tanager at the Lion’s Den in Ozaukee County Wisconsin on May 22, 2018

  1. Nan Wisherd says:

    Congrats on life bird #339 and thanks for sharing the photos of this beautiful bird!

  2. Sue Thomas says:

    Never even heard of this bird. Thank you!

  3. Jean Parks says:

    Hi Jim, We are so glad we found your post. We saw this bird at the very top of a huge blue Spruce next to our house near Camp Randall Stadium in Madison. It was Saturday evening September 22, 2018 at 5 PM. It sat there for at least 10 minutes. It looked to me like a Robin and a peach faced lovebird had a baby. We have never seen a bird like this in Wisconsin.

  4. Patrick says:

    My wife and I just saw one at Horicon Marsh yesterday. Had our binoculars but no telescoping camera. Was def a male western tanager. Made us then question if some of what we thought were either goldfinches or yellow warblers might have been female western tanagers.

  5. Don Miles says:

    I wouldn’t have believed it, but actually saw a male just north of Cedarburg WI this morning. Raining, and lousy out, but was sitting on a branch above my jam feeders for the orioles. Been a amature bird watcher for >25years, so knew it was different. No pics (yet).

  6. Don Miles says:

    (I did get pictures finally, and a short video). Awesome to see.

  7. Gretchen Dahlen says:

    Thank you for your photos from 2018. This late morning, May 21, 2020, we had a sighting of this bird, in a hickory tree near the house, rural Dane County. Verona, WI. Beautiful Western tanager was a first sighting for us. We opted for binoculars instead of the camera. If we are fortunate to get another chance, we will try for a photo.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *