We have Painted Buntings!
Quite possibly the most beautiful birds in Florida. These winter visitors (Passerina ciris) have found the millet feeder in our garden. The females are an attractive green & yellow, but the males are the stars. Red, blue and green - they are just stunning.
According to Cornell Ornithology Labs: “ The French name of the Painted Bunting, nonpareil, means “without equal,” a reference to the bird’s dazzling plumage. The oldest recorded wild Painted Bunting was at least 12 years old, as reported from a Florida banding study.”
We also saw Painted Buntings during our visit this week to Green Cay Wetlands, along with lots of other feathered friends. While we enjoyed the bird watching, the most amusing sighting was a Raccoon that Leanna spotted way up in the top of a tree. Just hanging out waiting for the sun to go down. So cute.
These are a few of my favorites from Green Cay.
Remember, you can click on an image to view full screen.
Since Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, it looks like six more weeks of winter. No problem here. As we like to say, this is the time of year when Florida doesn’t suck.
