Painted Bunting at Pelee!!

Today was a great day of birding at Point Pelee. Right from the time we entered the south end of the park it was apparent that a new load of migrants had dropped in, and they kept coming with the morning fog. The numbers were not astounding by any means, but it sure was nice to have birds to look at! I'll mention some of the highlights in another blog post, but I thought that tonight I would post photos of the real star of the day - the Painted Bunting.

David Bell and I were birding the tip area around noon when Jeremy Bensette called (he works at Pelee Wings). Jeremy had news of a female Painted Bunting coming to the bird feeders across the street from Pelee Wings! Maris Apse had found the bird (chatting with him later, it was the first stop he made on his way to Pelee - a quck check of the feeders). Within seconds I had sent out text messages to any birders I knew were in the area and it wasn't long until Jeremy texted that he had seen and photographed the bird.

Eventually the shuttle arrived to pick us up from the tip, and we raced (at the speed limit of course) north out of the park. Without further ado - the bunting!

Painted Bunting - April 29, 2013

My photos at the time weren't very good, but I returned later this evening and had an absolutely amazing half hour, photographing the bird at eye level from only about 10 feet away. It was not too concerned with our presence - it just wanted to feed!

Painted Bunting - April 29, 2013

It appears to be a 2nd year bird based on the contrast between the primary and secondary coverts. It is in female type plumage but it could be a 2nd year male - I don't have any good resources on me at the moment.

Painted Bunting - April 29, 2013

Thanks, Maris for a great bird! As of the end of the 2011 OBRC report, there were 31 accepted records of Painted Bunting in Ontario. There are two previous for the Point Pelee birding area.

Painted Bunting - April 29, 2013

It will be exciting to see what tomorrow brings!!