The Birdy Site: Let's Talk About That Painted Bunting

I don't need to tell you that there is a Painted Bunting in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. You already know, because the bird is a celebrity. In fact, there have been several articles written in various newspapers. A Google search for "Painted Bunting Brooklyn" turns up 124,000 results.

And a Painted Bunting in Brooklyn is not the sort of thing that one just misses. So I magically recovered from a cold and went to see the bird.

Once the word is out, there is never any problem finding rarities. This is because birders are all crowded around gawking at the bird in question, normally a small brown thing that couldn't seem to care less about the attention it's getting. And as it's name suggests, a Painted Bunting is not a small brown bird.

But arriving on the scene, the bird's bright colors did not make it easily visible, as it had ducked down into some brush and not come up again. Needless to say, there was an assembled army of birders standing about and awaiting the event.

Some people came to see the bird

And the bird did indeed show up. It seemed to have perfected the art of entertaining birders, as it hopped back and forth, feeding and showing just enough of itself to keep people oohing and aahing, but staying hidden enough that people stuck around in the hopes of a better look.

Please enjoy my gorgeous pictures, and if you haven't already, go see the bird!