We have a small group of Painted Buntings who have been visiting our feeders for about a month now.  I’ve been reporting them to the Painted Bunting Observation Team (PBOT) at paintedbuntings.org, a team that has been studying the expanding range of these beautiful birds.  We feel so lucky to have them in our yard.  These pictures are taken from my dining room, through the window out to their favorite feeder, a tube feeder hanging in our front yard ligustrum trees.

PBOT categorizes the birds as “male” and “green”, because both the juveniles and the females are green.  So today we had a green bird and a male visit the feeder together, with several repeat visits by individual green birds.  I was relieved that they are still coming, because the Red-Winged Blackbirds have discovered that feeder and they scare away the little birds.  It’s funny to watch the birds and observe their “pecking order.”  At one point today, I had two House Finches at the feeder, and a green Painted Bunting joined them.  But I’ve seen the Painteds scare off American Goldfinches, who are smaller than the House Finches!

I’ve tried to get better pictures than just “bird at feeder”, but these feeders don’t get direct sunlight.  I’m shooting through a window (which could probably use a good cleaning!) and the tree leaves and branches are close enough to the feeder to provide pretty bad bokeh.   That will be the continuing challenge, trying to get a really good image while the birds are visiting…