Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Painted Bunting

My mom is crazy about birds. Seriously nuts over them and thus she has turned the area surrounding her house into a paradise for birds. There are bird feeders galore and a bird bath, and even several birdhouses (in my soul). These birdhouses are specifically designed to attract bluebirds, which hold a special place in my mom’s heart. All of her work has paid off. The place is lousy with birds, and we’re not just talking grackles and crows. You cannot sit through a meal in the dining room without being treated to a procession of chickadees, bluebirds, cardinals, and other miscellaneous birds cycling through the feeder and bath right outside the window. However over the past few years one visitor has stood out in my mind; the Painted Bunting. With its bold coloring, the male Painted Bunting is widely considered one of the most beautiful birds in America. I have tried to get some pictures of this particular visitor without too much success until this weekend. Although the lighting angle was less than optimal, leading to some pretty bad shadows, I am somewhat pleased with the following results.



I have nothing funny to say about this picture. Look at those colors!

Gettin' his drink on.


Here he is gargling.

3 comments:

Abram said...

Great pictures, James! As you may know, my parents are crazy birdwatchers too. We saw a painted bunting for the first time about a month ago, and I called my dad to describe what we saw. He instantly knew from my amateur description. It was by far the most beautiful bird we've seen in the wild around here.

James said...

Thanks!

Actually I had no idea that your parents were into the whole bird-watching scene. One of these days I am going to get serious about getting some pictures of the birds that feed at my mom's feeder. I have seen as many as five cardinals there at one time.

Anonymous said...

wow. i think you did great with those pictures. i just love your mom's yard.