Buntings are very good birds. I have reliably seen indigo buntings in NY and NJ and am delighted every time.
I think I've only ever seen painted buntings in Florida, either in Corkscrew Swamp (there's a set of feeders just outside the visitor center where they regularly show up) or on Merritt Island, where, again, they hang out in the trees right around the visitor center. They are the sort of bird that are so brilliant even the shittiest cellphone photos can convey their goodness.
I get the monthly newsletter of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. They said that there are breeding pairs of these colorful bastards along the Atlantic Coast this far north now.
Buntings are very good birds. I have reliably seen indigo buntings in NY and NJ and am delighted every time.
I think I've only ever seen painted buntings in Florida, either in Corkscrew Swamp (there's a set of feeders just outside the visitor center where they regularly show up) or on Merritt Island, where, again, they hang out in the trees right around the visitor center. They are the sort of bird that are so brilliant even the shittiest cellphone photos can convey their goodness.
I get the monthly newsletter of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. They said that there are breeding pairs of these colorful bastards along the Atlantic Coast this far north now.