[Birdnet] Painted bunting still at Fish Springs NWR late on 26th

[David Wheeler]

Larene & I "bopped" over to Fish Springs yesterday and immediately found the Painted bunting at the picnic area north of the residence area (see previous e-mails) at about 2:40 pm.  Pf, no sweat.  However, after the initial moment of hubris and exultation, we quickly found out that the beast can be very difficult to find, as a moment later it disappeared and was not relocated for over a half hour.  We first saw it low in the northern patch of small poplar trees growing along the wet ditch along the west edge of the grove, and then later rediscovered it in the large tree with the raven nest next to it.  Let me just say it was surprisingly difficult to see such a bright bird in the sparse foliage even 25 feet up.  So if it doesn't appear on first glance to be there, don't give up hope (even while the horseflies and mosquitoes drain you of life essence).  We went away and returned later in the evening to find it again in the same little grove of trees along the ditch.  And, as before, it flew into the raven nest tree.  At one point it was in the open at the base of the tree.  The bird is very flighty, but seems to show a lot of fidelity to the picnic grove.  At risk of getting flooded with hate mail from people who might drive the three hours out there for nothing, I would bet it will stick around a bit longer yet.  It's a lovely bird to see.
 
The Scarlet tanager was not at the picnic area (only the pair of Westerns was), but MAY have been at the residential area to the south, where many Western tanagers were aggregated.  Most were beautiful males, but the female we got on didn't seem to have any obvious wing bars.  Mind you, we never got a stellar look at it and I was momentarily sun-blind because I left my hat in the car, but the only wing bar I did see on the female was a faint, pale, thin stripe along the base of the greater wing coverts of the sort shown for an adult female Scarlet in the Sibley guide (but, again, I did not have a definitive look).  Anyway, "it" may still be there.
 
Happy birding,
 
David
 
P.S.  I was going to submit my definitive photographs of red, green, and blue smudges, but after seeing the wonderful photos posted yesterday, I'll not embarrass myself further.
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