Painted Bunting

During my time home at Christmas, I bought a birding magazine. The main article listed 10 birds that the author thought were the best to see in America. Amongst those 10 was the painted bunting. Also, my granny is a bit of a bird watcher and really wants to see one and has never lain eyes on one at the age of 79.

So, the other day, I dragged my mom out bird watching. As we walked along a bund, she spotted something red in a nearby tree. I checked it out and then handed the binoculars to her, breathlessly exclaiming, "It's a painted bunting!" It sat there for about thirty seconds, then flew on to a place where two weirdos weren't disturbing his peace. I think this event almost converted my mother to the ranks of ornithology because later that night I was cooking dinner and asked my dad where mom had gone. "She outside watching birds", he replied.

Later in the week, I went to stay at my childhood home. As I stopped the car, I saw something in the top of a dead tree. I got out my binoculars and was stunned to see yet another painted bunting! Were they under my nose all those years growing up?

I was sitting in the living room later and saw Mr. and Mrs. Painted Bunting catching insects in our old firewood pile so I got a book and drove the car down next to the wood pile. After about 12 chapters, they got brave enough to come back and I got a decent picture of the female and a couple blurry ones of the male. Needless to say, it made my week.

Bird of myth and legend

A less flattering, chicken-like pose

The female is less spectacularly coloured but still nice in her greenish plumage