I can't believe he perched so close to me. Those little grass seeds must be very tasty to lure him in!
I hardly know what to say about this bird. He takes my breath away every time I see him...and the words seem to go with it.
Two years ago I photographed a Painted Bunting in the same spot! This little patch of grass grows all along the bank on the back side of Ibis Pond...the part of the pond where the birds don't seem to nest too often.
A sweet fellow...of course he lives on Pinckney Island!
I found this Painted Bunting at Ibis Pond on Pinckney Island NWR. When I first arrived, I could hear them singing at the forest's edge just off 278. They were all along that part of the driveway. When I looked up, one was even sitting on a wire singing! I knew it would be a good day when I spotted one seconds upon entering the refuge, but I had no idea I'd be able to stand about 6 feet from one!
...this post is part of the 2011 Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge series. Pinckney Island is located just off Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. (Click here for the Pinckney Island 2011 posts, here for 2010, and here for 2009.)
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48 comments:
Oh.
My.
Goodness.
Now that's a life bird for ME! Would love to see one! Love that last shot.
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! I finally managed to spot a couple by staking out the bird feeder at Jekyll Island's nature center. I love these guys. Such impossible colors.
oh, your photos are just exquisite! i posted a few today of a painted but nothing as stunning as yours!!!
This is the bird I went to see last fall they had migrated about one week prior to my arrival...They are shown to breed in my area but Ive never seen one or even heard of one in this part of SC...I hope to see this yr if all goes well. Beautiful PHOTOS!!
Wonderful, wonderful pics!!
WoW! He is a rainbow of colors! How I would love to see one of those sometime. Your pictures are gorgeous! I'm going to go back and look at them again.
oh my, dreamy gorgeous, a wee bit of magic!
I love painted buntings. Almost never see them. They're the reason I grow sunflowers. The first year I grew them, I let them stay in the ground after they were dead. Birds loved the seeds. They drew the most painted buntings I've ever seen. Most of them were females, but even the females are a cool colour. :)
Holy Oh My WoW! Gorgeous!!!
Absolutely gorgeous gal. Carol
Wht a beauty he is! Lucky you.
Awesome!
There's no words to describe how beautiful he is. Your photos of him are breathtaking!
You're brilliant Kelly, the colours are too much, beautiful.
Oh Kelly... I gasped! Just gorgeous!
Kelly,
Never seen one of these this close up! You must become invisible when shooting in the field!
What beautiful pictures of a beautiful bird! Are you going to paint him? He would make a lovely painting!
Wow! Those are some amazing shots, Kelly. Good work!
simply amazing, gorgeous pictures of a gorgeous bird!!!
Exquisite...both photos and bird!
I've never seen one. These are great shots!
Oh! wow Kelly, what an amazing bird.
Have you been near it with your paint brush.{:)
Great photos.
amazing capture - I hope to see one of these sometime -
dan
Beautiful bird! Beautiful shots!!
The are unbelieveable! Words fail...
One i have only seen once.
This entire post takes my breath away. I think of these birds as "Rainbow" birds .... they are so lovely. I've never seen one in person though.
OH! Those pictures took my breath away! Literally! Congratulations on those stunning shots!
Glorious! I'm sure you have bird angel guiding you as it knows you celebrate their beauty to the maximum. Stunning, Kelly!
OH MY! These are some of the most beautiful photos!! What kind of camera do you have? The background colors are so lovely also...did you photoshop the backgrounds, use special settings on your camera, or was the angel still sitting on your shoulder? I need to buy a new camera... so I am interested in what others are using.
I am just over the state line (in GA) from where you took these lovely photos. I am also an avid bird watcher and trying to learn to sketch birds. I need to make a trip soon to Pinckney Island! My Flickr link has some lists of my most recent backyard bird sightings: http://www.flickr.com/photos/44599703@N06/
Debo Boddiford
Oh, Kelly, wow! I am beyond envious! Your images are pure magic - absolutely picture-book perfect!
Great shots Kelly. If you asked a 3 year-old to paint a pretty bird - you'd get painted bunting!
Woweeeeeeeeeeeeeee....awesome!
Fabulous! What an awesome bird!
Awesome, just awesome!
They certainly are beautiful and look like someone took a paintbrush to them. An amazing bird and wonderful photos!
I have never been fortunate enough to see things like this in my backyard but there is always hope. LOL
These are about the best bird portraits I have ever seen.
Hi Kelly
What an incredible series of photographs. That is one of most
beautiful birds I think I have ever seen.
Guy
Of all the birds I ever hope to see, I expect this one tops my list. Incredible shots, incredible bird.
Wow did you pain that guy ;-) Incredible colors and fantastic bird, I would have love to get such pictures. They are wonderful shots Kelly and I love the environment you got them too. Simply marvelous!!
Beautiful photos Kelly!
Wow Kelly! What I would give to see this! Your photos are gorgeous - the bunting is so beautiful he almost doesn't look real!!
Oh, wow! Those are gorgeous! What wonderful images. What beautiful colors on that fellow.
Sunday hugs,
Lois
That settles it! Back to Pinckney Island is a definite must. Stunning captures Kelly. Seriously, stunning. I'm still waiting to see my first.
That is gorgeous!
...thanks, everyone for all of your kind comments! What a gorgeous little bird, and to have him sitting just six feet away was amazing. I doubt I'll ever get to experience that again!
Truly amazing! What a special moment. And scrolling down the page I ran into all the alpaca posts. They remind me some how of a horse, bunny, camel combination. Your shots really captured their being.
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