Painted Bunting - La Conner, WA

There are a handful of birds in the US that are stunning when you see them and this Painted Bunting is no exception to that rule. The colors are bright and phenomenal of the male birds and are quite a shock to see if you aren't used to them. This particular bird was just a bit off course from the regular range and landed himself in North West Washington. Mostly these bright little jewels don't come west of Texas and north of Kansas. One of the things that always comes up when us birders are looking for a rare bird is how very nice these people are who allow the throngs of interested naturalists to peer into their backyards. My hats off to these folks.