sanddog Posted May 18, 2022 Share Posted May 18, 2022 This just showed up near my bird bath and I'm stumped. Warbler-like in its appearance and behavior, yet its bill is finch or sparrow-like. Mostly gray, faint Blackpoll Warbler-like striping on its greenish yellow-tinged back. The photos don't show the triangle-like pattern on the back, which reminded me of a dull female Pine Warbler. Whitish vent (no yellow), no hint of wing bars, no eye ring. And gathering nesting materials off the ground for several minutes, while accompanied by Chipping Sparrows which it was close in size to. It's like the field marks all cancel each other out for anything obvious. Thanks for any help with this puzzler. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackburnian Posted May 18, 2022 Share Posted May 18, 2022 This appears to be a Painted Bunting, a very rare bird for Maine. Should be reported to eBird asap. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanddog Posted May 18, 2022 Author Share Posted May 18, 2022 (edited) Hmmm, thanks Blackburnian. I will get this to eBird. I have a bunch more photos. Unfortunately it was getting dark so none are high quality. These others show different angles. If it was a Painted Bunting would it be gathering nesting materials? Incidentally Painted Buntings do get reported in Maine almost every year, but yes they are a rarity for certain, and I've never seen one. It appeared to be picking up the dandelion seeds as if gathering nest materials (rather than eating them), but I suppose I could be wrong since I've never witnesses the way Buntings feed. Edited May 18, 2022 by sanddog incorrect # of photos given in reply 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IKLland Posted May 18, 2022 Share Posted May 18, 2022 4 hours ago, blackburnian said: This appears to be a Painted Bunting, a very rare bird for Maine. Should be reported to eBird asap. Agreed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanddog Posted May 18, 2022 Author Share Posted May 18, 2022 Thank you Blackburnian & IKLland. It's been reported to eBird and is still awaiting confirmation. From these pics can anyone tell me what sex/life stage this bird is? And does it appear to be gathering these dandelion seeds as nesting material, or just eating them? Here's another photo from yesterday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IKLland Posted May 18, 2022 Share Posted May 18, 2022 5 minutes ago, sanddog said: Thank you Blackburnian & IKLland. It's been reported to eBird and is still awaiting confirmation. From these pics can anyone tell me what sex/life stage this bird is? And does it appear to be gathering these dandelion seeds as nesting material, or just eating them? Here's another photo from yesterday. My best guess is female @blackburniancan probably help more with that. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanddog Posted May 18, 2022 Author Share Posted May 18, 2022 I've been reading about the species and it says they leap to grasp seed heads. That's exactly what it was doing near the bird bath that caught my attention in the first place. So cool to see this bird in Maine. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peromyscus Posted May 20, 2022 Share Posted May 20, 2022 It's now been confirmed in eBird. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanddog Posted May 20, 2022 Author Share Posted May 20, 2022 Case closed...thanks guys! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now