I try to remember to always put mine back on auto setting but I do sometimes forget. If I have been using other settings or programs. Auto gives the best chance if I want to grab & shoot!

I need help ID'ing this bird. It's either a scarlet tanager or a summer tanager. The only time I see them is when they come to the bird bath. This was the first time in 3 years I have been able to get some really decent photos of them - they are usually quick as a wink & are gone before I can hardly focus the camera. Sorry for so many photos but I wanted to cover as many angles as I could & if these aren't enough, I have more -- IOW -- if there's a question remaining about a particular body part then I might have it in other photos. Be sure to click to enlarge the photos so you can see the whole.
Here is some reference material:
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/g...
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/g...

I'm betting an acorn on Summer Tanager! Seriously, I have no idea but in comparing the photos I think it looks more like that one. Also, what's up with the little blue guy in the last photo? Tell him to mind his manners and play nice!

To be fair Tanager started it. This is the first photo & you can see Tanager is immediately being a bully



But bluebirds can hold their own & give as good as they get. Bluebird said, "You want some of this? Huh? You WANT some of this? I'll give you some of this!"

I am not familiar with the Tanagers at all, except for the one called a Black-winged Redbird (the male). :D

Here is why I so rarely play with the manual settings on my camera...



This spring, I finally saw some Bank Swallows. If you look closely, you can see their "ties". I get a kick out of the fact a group of this bird is called a Foreclosure. Well, the night before I fiddled with the ISO for a moon shot, which worked for the moon, but totally forgot to change that. I was so upset, because I've not been able to get that close to these birds before. Oh and the sky was blue that day.

Ann, those are great photos, I just love the exchange between the birds, must have been fun wtching them.

With Melanie, it seems to have a heavier bill than the Scarlet Tanager.

Oh yes Margaret! They are a real riot this time of year. All this years babies as well as the adults have afternoon splish splash parties. there can be as many as 11 birds in the bird bath at 1 time. They get so crazy they fly into the window. there will be wrens, finches, bluebirds, sparrows, cardinals, great crested flycatchers, mockingbirds, you name it, they all come at the same time for the party & they can really get some squabbles going on too.

Okay, thank you Melanie & Margaret. So that's 2 votes for the Summer Tanager.

If it helps, I was looking at beak shape and size, too. I think they differ enough you can kind of tell. Maybe? I'm new at this bird thing!

I'm inclined to the Summer Tanager too but they're so close I wanted other opinions.

Wow Ann, great shots of the Tanager and Blue Bird!! From the description in my bird books I'm going with the Tanager being a female Summer Tanager.

Photo of a female on this page: http://roadsendnaturalist.com/...
Another photo here: https://www.audubon.org/field-...

Summer Tanager is my vote too for what it is worth. I have only seen each only once.

Okay! That clenches it then. Summer Tanager it is. Thanks for those links Lin. You know, the funny thing is I have NEVER seen a male or even a juvie male. That's 3 summers here & never have seen a male -- only the females like what I shot today. You would think that red would be pretty darn hard to miss!!!! And why don't the males drink & bathe? I'm baffled.

Ann, it is interesting and I've wondered that about other birds. A few years ago when I'd get Painted Buntings it was mostly the females but every once in awhile the rainbow colored male would appear. And, the Red-winged Blackbirds ... we see many of them pretty much year-round but the females are very scarce, same for the Brown-headed Cowbirds which we only see here in the fall and winter months ... many males and very few females. It's puzzling.

Lin - There is currently a PBOT study going on to determine why the numbers of "Eastern" Painted Buntings has dwindled alarmingly. Something IS going on ... the current thought is habitat destruction ...

PBOT: http://www.paintedbuntings.org...

beckygardener said:Lin - the current thought is habitat destruction

Yep, that's what I figured and it doesn't surprise me in the least. I always hope that future generations will be wiser than the ones before but unfortunately it's not possible to re-establish what has already been totally destroyed or bring back birds and other critters from extinction. It's unfortunate that more and more wildlife habit is being destroyed for human use ... which always reminds me of the words to the Joni Mitchell song (Big Yellow Taxi) from the early 70's ... "Take paradise and put up a parking lot."

We always see the beautiful Painted Buntings at the Merritt Island Nat'l Wildlife Reserve. There are feeders located outside the office/gift shop area along the boardwalk and many birds (and raccoons) visit the feeders. There's a lot of shrubbery cover in that area and the Buntings will fly back and forth from the feeder to the safety of the shrubs.

That is the key to seeing Painted Buntings .... they are shy so they need shrub coverage. As I mentioned before, there were a total of 22 different Painted Buntings banded in my yard over the past 1 1/2 years. So they do come here to Sebastian. You may start seeing them again when you move here.

flaflwrgrl said:Okay! That clenches it then. Summer Tanager it is. Thanks for those links Lin. You know, the funny thing is I have NEVER seen a male or even a juvie male. That's 3 summers here & never have seen a male -- only the females like what I shot today. You would think that red would be pretty darn hard to miss!!!! And why don't the males drink & bathe? I'm baffled.

I have only seen a male Summer Tanager once & it was in 2008 I think. I was so amazed to see a bird like that in Indiana!! I was just getting into birds & photographing them when I saw him!

Have never seen a male Scarlet Tanager....yet!

beckygardener said: As I mentioned before, there were a total of 22 different Painted Buntings banded in my yard over the past 1 1/2 years. So they do come here to Sebastian. You may start seeing them again when you move here.

I'm sure hoping to attract them when we move to Sebastian next summer! Our yard there has a lot of trees and shrubbery so there will be a lot of cover for them.

Okay, a little before my time, but I thought "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot."

mellielong said:Okay, a little before my time, but I thought "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot."

Yep, that proves I'm old ... I couldn't even remember the exact lyrics.