Unusual painted bunting

You've seen the painted buntings i show along the side bar and here is a normal adult male. My son took this shot at the feeder this summer. Note the bronzey green shoulders, middle back and part of the wings.

The male painted buntings migrate earlier than the females and young birds who are all green, so I was surprised to see a male at the feeder yesterday. Naturally I took pictures. Then I realized it was quite different, so I took some more.

He has no bronze on him at all. He's a shade of red where he should be bronze

And then when I downloaded the pictures, I saw that he was missing his left eye entirely too. You'll have to click it larger to see. Looks like he lost it in an accident, not a birth defect. He's done well to get to be an adult with such a handicap.
He reminds me of a pirate here--Avast, ye maties!
The painted bunting guy from the study that NC and SC are doing on the birds has been here to our house for banding painted buntings and I've sent him these pictures too. It will be interesting to see what they have to say.

V is for Videos

V is also for I'm Very sorry to have been missing for a week. I've been Very sad because of the untimely death of my best art friend and gallery partner for 14 years. She had been Very ill for a long time and I know it's best, but it's still Very hard.

So here is the post which I had planned for the day she died.

This is our Doberman Comet announcing to all the world that he is here and nobody better come in the yard without his permission. Be sure to turn up the sound for this one!

This is a male painted bunting enjoying his afternoon ablutions.

And this is a male ruby-throated hummingbird doing his best to attract a passing lady--all he needs is a raincoat!

I had a half dozen more videos planned, but I don't have the patience to load them. All that waiting and they are still so small you can hardly see them. Emailing them is better--let me know if you 'd like to see them that way. They are all reduced for sending.

bwkrucke@gmail.com

Thanks!

P is for a Pair of Painted Buntings and one Pretty Pincher

Okay, I know I've gone overboard, but I just couldn't choose. Each pic has a different expression or a different story to tell. Painted buntings really are non-pareil. This is one species where there really is a big difference between the males and the females. The young males look just like the females their first year too.

All the ones you see bands on are ones that returned from last year!

Just checking

Hope that wasn't too many for you and that you clicked them big for detail

Just two pics of our wonderful Comet. He will be three in July.

Comments and questions always welcome to:

bwkrucke@gmail.com

Thanks

G is for Grosbeak and Gorgeous Groupies

I was going to start G is for Grove Plantation today, but another G got in the way. Look at this magnificent Blue Grosbeak that is visiting the feeder! Please click to enlarge.

From the front one sees only tiny hints of his pretty chestnut colored wings.

There, now those lovely wings show. Sorry about the chain.
I never realized how white the lower mandible is! Or that they had a barred area underneath.

LOL--the sun caught the lower mandible just right as I took this shot. He's eating a millet seed--you can see it to the right and the discarded husk to the left.

From the sublime to the ridiculous--a Cowbird! But I'll have to admit that he doesn't look half bad here.

Our state bird, the Carolina Wren, stopped by too. She has three young fledglings following her around today.

Mrs. Painted Bunting waiting her turn at the millet. She was banded last summer by the painted bunting study guy from the PBOT of the DNR.

And of course, the piece de resistance, Mr. Painted Bunting. You can see why his old name was Non Pareil--no equal.

It was a good day at the new feeder!

Comments and suggestions most welcome.

bwkrucke@gmail.com

Thanks

This post is my contribution to I and the Bird # 75 hosted by Gallicissa

Birds of the day

Poor Mr. Bluebird--sitting on a house that has the nest ruined in it again. It was sideways as if a wren were taking it over and the heavy, but now cold eggs were on the floor of the house under the nest. This is the second brood they've lost. I hope they try again.

At least he got a big bug for himself.

This was the reddest cardinal I've ever seen. Of course he didn't want to show his front to the camera.

A picture just doesn't show how red he was!

Then she joined him. It was so hard trying to get them both looking up and nice.

Mustn't forget the painted buntings. She looking rather inscrutable and he looking a bit curious about her.


I was ready when Mr. white-breasted nuthatch appeared again!




I saw a tiny bird at a distance in the wisteria. I had the camera rather than the binoculars so I used it to identify a blue-gray gnatcatcher. He proceeded to groom himself. I never knew they had that prominent eyebrow before.




It was quite exciting to have the blue grosbeack on the upstairs feeders!

He and the painted bunting glared at each other for a bit.

But then ignored each other and went back to eating.


It really is a gross, in the size sense, beak!

>
Now three crummy pictures of the indigo bunting who insists on staying far away in poor light where he can only be seen through a tinted thermal window. But he's so pretty!

For size--he's tiny.

Oh, how I wish this shot had been good! Indogo buning on top of feeder, painted bunting to the right, cardinal to the left, and female blue grosbeak at the bottom. Oh well.

I've had no email access for three days while my server supposedly was upgrading. It was only supposed to take half a day. So I posted too many pictures today to make up for it.

Please email any questions or comments to:
bwkrucke@gmail.com

Thanks.