Painted Buntings - Birds Nonpareil

Video: Painted Buntings - Birds Nonpareil

Painted Bunting mature males - the birds without equal - the most colorful songbirds in North America - have been arriving in Florida in larger numbers now that the weather has turned quite cold up north. These birds stay in very heavy brush cover and only venture out to feeders. You will notice that despite their bright garish coloration they are surprisingly hard to see in dense cover.

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Video: Painted Buntings - Birds Nonpareil

Painted Bunting Spotted in New York City!

Video: Painted Bunting Spotted in Brooklyn New York!

Amazing bird news out of New York City this week as a mature male Painted Bunting was spotted in Prospect Park in Brooklyn. It has caused quite an uproar among the birding world and no wonder - the mature male Painted Bunting is known as the most colorful songbird in North America and a personal favorite of J. Audubon himself. A very rare and elusive bird Painted Buntings have been coming to the Florida backyard every October for years. The eastern population tends to breed and summer in the coastal Carolinas - rarely as far north as New Jersey in the summer, but New York City in winter - that's almost unheard of. This handsome fellow in NYC should be down here in my backyard! The immature males and female Painted Buntings are and attractive jade green and wonderful in their own right - but nothing can compare to the male - that is why he is called nonparallel. Typically they stay in the dense brush behind our backyard from October to April and the ratio of mature males to "greenies" is typically 4 or 6 six green to one crayola. Enjoy him Big Apple while you can - even the amazing Painted Bunting can get New Yorker's excited that's saying something! Press story from the New York Times!

Video: Painted Bunting Spotted in Brooklyn New York!

 Video: Painted Bunting Spotted in Brooklyn New York!

Painted Buntings - Up Close and Hungry!

Video: Painted Buntings - Up Close and Hungry!

Painted Buntings feast on white millet. We have a small "flock" of 6 winter visitors - four "Greenies" which are either female or immature males and two mature males in classic colors. In the past we have had "banded" birds but have seen no bands indicating capture and release for two winters now. Population seems to be down, but that could just be a coincidence. Considered the most spectacularly colored songbirds in North America they spend their day in heavy brush and come out to eat voraciously 4 or 5 time a day. This late afternoon video with low sun and tree branch shadows shows off the iridescent colors of the male well. Like Hummingbirds - how they appear depends a lot on sun and the angle of the sun.

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Video: Painted Buntings - Up Close and Hungry!

First Painted Bunting Of 2013-14 Season

First Painted Bunting Of 2013-14 Season

First Painted Bunting Of 2013-14 Season

This rough looking Painted Bunting arrived yesterday in central Florida about 5 to 6 weeks early. I have never seen one before about October 17th-24th. This appears to be a young male in the middle of molting. Typically we never see a molting bird as they do not depart their northern haunts until done molting. Believe it or not - this rough looking Bunting will become the most spectacular looking songbird in all of North America this fall. See:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8-TUzAV4A4 for an example.

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Annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count Starts December 14th

Male Painted Bunting observed on December 9th, 2012

Between December 14th and January 5th you can participate in the annual bird count. Information is on the Audubon web site. Even if you don't participate, winter is a good time for bird watching. Owls are starting to call more often as we get deeper into winter in Florida.  Here is a photo of a Painted Bunting I took Sunday to get the bird watching juices flowing.