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Here’s a male Summer Tanager that I caught preening in an Oak tree at Jordan Lake in New Hill, NC. Along with fruits and berries, Tanagers are known for eating stinging insects, mainly bees and wasps. (Ouch!) It is not unusual to see one sitting on a limb with a bee in its bill. The bird kills the insect by beating it against a branch, after which the insect’s stinger must be removed, usually by rubbing it off on a branch. They will also tear apart wasp nests to eat the grubs. It’s not unusual to see one catching insects in mid-air, then flying back to a branch to eat their meal. This is the best way to spot these bright red birds, as they otherwise remain high in the trees, like this handsome guy is doing here. Just keep an eye out for a flash of Ruby against the Emerald canopy 😉 Photo by @sally_siko . . . . #birdnerd #birdsofinsta #birdsofinstagram #ncwildlife #birding #birdwatching #Birdbehavior #bird #birds #jordanlake #ncbirding #ncbirds #ncbirdwatching #canon #canon5ds #summertanager #tanager #outdoorphotomag #hiking #nchiking #ncoutdoors #ncnature #silvercordeventphotography #silvercordphotodaily #ncwildlifephotographer #birdwatchingnc #northcarolinabirds

A post shared by Bird Watching N.C. (@birdwatching_nc) on Jul 17, 2019 at 4:29am PDT