‘Twas shortly before the New Year when all through the halls of UNCW, not a student was stirring, except those poor, bleary-eyed grad students of course. The field gear was hung in the closet with care, in hopes that the next banding season soon would be here. The banding data was nestled all snug in the filing cabinet (and reported to the Bird Banding Lab), while visions of long-term trends and statistics dance in our heads….. Phew! I’m glad I got that out my system! But it is true – the end of the year is when things finally quiet down, and Dr. Jamie, John, our banding teams, and I are able to take the time to really appreciate the hard work and dedication of PBOT volunteers, partners, and Friends. Every sighting report we receive from our volunteers adds to our understanding of the distribution and habits of Painted Buntings, and PBOT volunteers who report multiple Spot Sightings or several Timed Sighting sessions each day are helping us determine long-term and site-specific trends. And of course, those of you lucky enough to observe and report one of our banded buntings are helping us track individuals throughout their life, which adds to our understanding of specific life characteristics. But the Painted Bunting Observer Team has become so much more than just a clearinghouse for sightings over the last couple of years – through Blog comments and our Flickr and Facebook pages, we have become a close-knit community dedicated to sharing stories, tips, neighborly advice, support, and commiseration about our endless devotion to this unique and near-threatened native bird… we have become a Painted Bunting family. So, my Painted Bunting family, we here at PBOT Headquarters wish you the merriest of holiday seasons and all the very best in the coming New Year!
In our backyard in Parkland FL, we have been consistently getting 3 males and 4 females. Once in a while we may get 5 males and 6 greenies but not often. A few goldfinches dropped in a week ago but only stayed around for a few days. A lone female ruby-throat is a regular. She loves the jatropha bush too. Gray catbird and a thrasher seldom stray far from the underbrush (privet, necklace pod, walter's vibernum, and spanish needle) and the around the feeders. RWBs, bluejays, and squirrels have not been a real problem at all this year but the blackbirds have been an annoyance (but mostly for me). The PBs have adjusted well and often stay on the feeders while a grackle/grackles attempt to feed on the other side!
PB males seem bolder and more aggressive at the feeders now than they did a few months ago when they seemed to wait for the greenies to start the feeding.
We play scrabble on the open patio floor and the PBs are accustomed to our being within 12 feet of their own dining room. A coopers hawk periodically helps clear the blackbirds away and the PBs appear to welcome the help and are the first to return. Mourning, white-winged, and collared doves are the dominant ground feeders. We've had no indigos yet.
I am also in Apopka (south close to Univ on Binion Rd), FL. I have about 10 males, 12 females, and alot more, about 10 each, babies this year. My first bunting BLUE birds, a baby, which means they will be leaving about mid April to go back north! I will miss them until next Nov 2013!
Hi fellow PBOT volunteers!
From Apopka... Central Florida.... Just a quick note to let you know that we're status quo this season with 3 males and 4 greens, same as last year. I haven't seen any banded birds, but I keep taking pictures and looking for them. The PB's are feeding more often now and are such a delight to behold! I have feeders on my deck, and they come within 4-8 ft of me as I sit inside working (and playing) on the computer.
This year I've had an increase in AGF's.... Have approximately 30 and they, along with my resident pair of Cardinals, get along real well. It's the RWB's and Grackles that give them a problem, but the PB's usually wait till the coast is clear and then hurry in to feed. They're still getting plenty to eat and are looking really healthy if not downright "plump". Fortunately, there are no Crows, Starlings, House Sparrows or Cowbirds around for them to contend with!
I have other backyard birds too.... A resident pair of Carolina Wrens, a Gray Catbird, an Eastern Phoebe, Titmice, Mourning Doves and an occasional Blue Jay to name some.... I even have Purple Martins (but not in the shady back yard). Still of all the backyard birds, the Painted Buntings are my favorite!
Hello All!
I just got great news from the bunting team about our banded greenie we've been hosting here in Palm City, Florida! Our little greenie had a total of four bands, two on each leg. On its left leg were a red & white band along with a blue band. On its right leg there was a silver band with a lime green band on top! Yep, we have one of the greenies that they banded up in South Carolina last summer! This is our first banded bird, but hopefully not our last. Has anyone else here in South Florida spotted any banded birds this year?
This has been a stellar year for buntings in our backyard, we've never had so many at one time consistantly! I hope this is because they're mulitiplying more than previously thought because they sure are a lovely addition to our backyard each winter!
To our summer hosts up in the Carolina's, we're doing our best down here to fatten them up for their long migration north so be sure to clean-out your feeders and restock on your white millet seed because I'm sure they'll be very appreciative of any and all handouts you provide!
Jelene!
Hi everyone
The Painted Buntings have been putting on quite a show here in Jupiter! Not only have the males started singing but they've been jousting in mid-air above the feeders, squabbling over females I suppose.
We've been seeing Indigo Buntings here for about 4-5 wks and the males are starting to fill in their blue feathers! They spend a lot more time on the ground under our feeders than at the feeders so they can be easily missed.
We also have a small flock of Goldfinches (12-15 birds) this season and the males have started filling in their bright yellow bodies and black caps. This is the first time we have had them here.
Bob: I'm so jealous that you have both indigo buntings and goldfinches, I've been looking for them all winter. I live in Boca Raton and have had a large group of painted buntings since mid October at the millet feeders I've provided for them. I have enjoyed them so much and will miss them when they depart in April. But I am disappointed not having seen the others, please send some down my way!
Hi Everyone!
What an exciting day this has been for me! I was taking some photos of all the birds at our feeders today and lo and behold one of our "greenies" was banded! I was very excited to see this because for the past 3-years we've had nothing but unbanded birds! This year we've spotted 9-males and 5-greenies feeding together at one time! That's the most males we've ever had here, but I'm guessing that some of last years greenies were in fact males in the making! Anyhow, we're keeping our little beauties happy and content with fresh seed each day and fresh water in the bird bath! It's been a lovely winter in Florida for our little Buntings and we'll be sad once again to see them leave for their northern nesting sites!
Happy birding all!
Hi All, life has been crazy busy lately, so haven't had time to read or post in awhile, but I hear someone suggested that my unwanted nocturnal visitors eating & pooping in the caged millet feeder may be flying squirrels? Well I have no idea if they are in my area, but I saved some droppings in a plastic ziploc to show my pest control man, and he thought it was mice. I have been bringing it in at dark now, ever since the problem, and returning it early AM, so not an issue anymore. But I have a question for Molly, who I believe said she was also in southeast florida...you're seeing Indigos? I have hoped to see them all fall & winter, but have not, my florida field guide says they do migrate here and also like millet, so why don't I see them at my feeders here in Boca? I recall someone posted a couple of months back who is also in south florida, that she doesn't see them until March and only for a couple of weeks, what's up with that? I also expected to see goldfinches, but haven't, my research tells me that they are partial migrators which means they wait until their food sources run low before they migrate, so I guess winter is mild where they are and I may not see them at all?
The Painted Buntings seem to be hanging around alot today. they usually are here in early morning then come back in evenings. They hang around with American Gold Finches and Sparrows. It looks like an indigo bunting has been visiting also the Indigo has been visiting the feeders with the painted bunting. the Indigo has blue under parts and tail, maybe winter molting?
Hi Skramhk - Thanks for the report from your yard! Your Painted Buntings may be preparing to migrate by fattening up on your feeder - peak migration is mid-April, but the males usually migrate first. As for your Indigo Bunting: the males molt into the same brown plumage as the female for the winter, but he may be molting back into his beautiful indigo breeding plumage now. Watch for him to lose that drab brown in favor of a shiny new indigo "coat" over the next couple of weeks. -- Leah, PBOT Program Coordinator
I found you all after photographing a banded bunting in my yard and I am excited to join the team!! I have read quite a few comments here and some of my observations at my location (Southeast Florida) may be informative.
Since I moved to my home in 1999, I have landscaped with mostly native plants with the intent to attract butterflies and birds. I have noticed that as the canopy coverage has increased (larger, mid-canopy and shrubby plants) and things have produced fruits and flowers, the number of starlings and grackles has decreased significantly and more desirable birds are showing up. I still get a lot of doves, but a nearby broad shouldered hawk keeps them at bay.
My yard is about as wild as my neighbors will allow and it makes a huge difference. I have 3 feeders all either, within or in the vicinity of, some sort of canopy. I started getting both painted and indigo buntings a few years ago, several apparent pairs of each and they usually stay for a few months. I have seen some territorial behavior of the males at the feeder, but it's not unusual to have 2 or 3 males at one feeder at the same time. I have found that they are intimidated by the resident cardinal "families" and the occasional blue jay.
I recently observed a bunting pulling off flowers from my salvia plant and "nibbling" the end to get out nectar. I have never seen that until this year but I suppose that doing that rather than eating from the feeder that is right next to it, says something about the significance of "wild" food. :-)
I thought my buntings were eating the salvia seeds. I will have to watch more closely the next time I see them at it. I am having a great time, enjoying this fabulous weather from my comfy back porch, binoculars at hand, watching 'my' birds at their feeders. I wonder, are the smaller, paler greenies young males and the larger, darker greenies females? I speculate this because I've seen more than one of the pale greenies with a faint, rosy chest.................
Hi Lisa - Painted Buntings are known to eat salvia seed, so that was definitely a consideration. But our friends who observed this phenomenon reported that the buntings actually pluck the flowers from certain plants and pick them apart, which suggests to me that they're after something in the flower (nectar or perhaps an unseen insect feeding on the flower?) If anyone observes this behavior, see if you can tell what they are after! The more observations the better for confirming what is actually happening during these events.
As for the rosy chest on your greenies, this probably means you have some older females! Thanks to years of banding and recapturing banded Painted Buntings, we have observed that many older females (3-4 years old) develop rosy breast feathers after a lifetime of the normal "leaf" green plumage. Because of this, we always recommend waiting until blue head feathers appear before reporting a greenie as a male - blue head feathers very rarely appear on females (although it is not unheard of). We have banded robust and petite individuals of both sexes, so size is not even a good gauge of gender. In fact, the only body measurement we have found that might indicate gender is wing length, and the difference is mere millimeters - not something you could recognize from afar!
There is really only one reliable way to tell a young green male from the females - only male Painted Buntings sing, so a singing greenie is absolutely a young male. This is the time of year to start looking for males singing from high, open perches. They are practicing for their spring performances in the breeding range, where they'll use their talents to attract a mate and claim their territory. Watch and listen to this great video from our friend Paul B. in South Carolina, which may help you catch your males practicing: http://www.flickr.com/photos/paintedbuntings/7536857468/in/set-721576304...
Thanks for the great observations and questions! Leah, PBOT Program Coordinator
Thank you Leah for you patience and willingness to share your knowledge. I played the video and will start listening. And watching for blue heads!
Lisa
This year I have noticed my buntings doing the same thing, they actually bite the flowers off cleanly at the end and then put the end in their beaks and seem to really like
the nectar.
Hi Molly - Welcome to the Team! Thanks for letting us know about your Painted Bunting-friendly yard! Your observation of them eating nectar from your salvia is not unheard of, although Painted Buntings are not nectar eaters... or so we thought! At first we thought perhaps they were just eating insects (aphids, spiders, etc.) off certain flowering plants in Florida, but our volunteers have argued convincingly that they are indeed plucking flowers specifically to eat the nectar. Thanks for reporting that observation!
PBOTers: Molly sent a photo of the banded greenie who visited her yard briefly in December, and it is probably one of ours... I say "probably" because this greenie is only wearing a silver band on the left leg! We do have a couple of birds out there who were banded with just the silver band for one reason or another (for example, it escaped during banding, or had bands removed upon recapture), so we're looking to see if this greenie is indeed one of ours. I'll keep you updated on what we learn! - Leah, PBOT Program Coordinator
Hi, I just stumbled onto this site. We've been visited by Painted Buntings for at least ten years now here in Sarasota, Florida. Simple backyard tube feeder with four stations, with mixed seed. First visitors of 2013 spotted yesterday, January 29, 2013. One bright male and three females.
Last year, 2012, only a few female PB's, but often as many as six or seven Indigo Buntings at a time, with at least three males--two very bright.
Anyone else thinking that Patti's nocturnal visitor to her feeder might be flying squirrels? They are nearly silent night-time feeders, and may likely be small and agile enough to feed without tripping a typical "squirrel-proof" device. Flying squirrels are apparently quite common here on the west coast of Florida, but I don't know about Boca area on the Atlantic side.
Hi Michael - Thanks for letting us know of your long history with Painted Buntings in Sarasota - and thanks for addressing Patti's nocturnal visitor mystery! We have heard of all kinds of unwanted visitors to the feeders (rats, mice, squirrels, house sparrows, etc.), but no one has caught a nocturnal flying squirrel in the act... and I would not be surprised if it was more common than we think. They are fairly small (5-6 inches in length) and may be able to fit through the holes of a caged feeder without too much effort. Thanks again for the suggestion, Michael! -- Leah, PBOT Program Coordinator
I have been hosting Painted Buntings for 10 years but this year I only saw three females. The last two years I have been inundated with sparrows and saw a decline in PB sightings but this year they are not staying in my yard at all. I also got a lab puppy and he does not care about the birds but do you think his scent is keeping them away?
Hi Darlene - I have observed Painted Buntings at homes with both large and small dogs, puppies and adults, and if the buntings I observed were ever scared of those dogs, they have certainly learned to ignore them and come to the feeders anyway. One of our most productive banding sites is in a small yard with a big lumbering goof of a dog - the buntings could not care a bit about his antics. In your case I imagine it's the feeder competition more than anything - as Leslie mentions below, sparrows also like millet and can be too aggressive and cause too much commotion on the feeder for our buntings. I wish I had a solution for sparrow invasions, but because they are similar in size to buntings, like the same seed, and can occupy the same suburban habitat, they are a force to be reckoned with! It's an on-going discussion for all our volunteers... so if you find any solutions, please share! :) Leah - PBOT Program Coordinator
Hi Darlene,
Our yard (east coast of Florida) has seen a huge increase in House Sparrows and Brown-headed cowbirds the last few months and they have definitely made an impact on the PB sightings, especially since the sparrows and cowbirds take to the white millet and empty a feeder in no time flat.
I have a Rollerfeder that I purchased to help with the squirrels and crows that were eating my seed so I have them on my Facebook Page and today they happen to have a
link to a site that gives some solutions to keeping House or English Sparrows off of a feeder, I don't know if this would work for the sparrows you have, but it might be worth a try. http://www.rollerfeeder.com/house_english_sparrows.htm
Dennis
I tried your suggestion today and so far there is definitely a difference. Don't know how long it will last, hopefully forever. I've seen one go to the bottom port and others land on the cage area but not go in. They just fly off. They'll sit close by on branches but don't go to the caged feeder.
Thanks so much for the suggestion.
That is great news, Leslie! Thanks again for sharing the idea, Dennis! -- Leah, PBOT Program Coordinator
Hi Dennis - I'd heard about the "magic halo", but this is a cheap and easy alternative to it, and it's certainly worth a try for those of you battling sparrows! I imagine with a little creativity, this monofilament trick could work on any feeder. Thanks for sharing this great tip, Dennis! -- Leah, PBOT Program Coordinator
Hello all, I'm hoping someone can help me solve a frustrating mystery, as I've googled & researched
and can't find an answer. In just the past few days, some creature is getting into my CAGED millet
feeder for the buntings at night, eating it and pooping on the bottom tray. It is not mice or rodent droppings, as I know what that looks like, but is light in color and rounded/oval pellets, not moist like bird poop. It has to be something small because the caged feeder only allows something same size as buntings in. So...is it perhaps a type of lizard, or frog or bat? as it only occurs at night. If I
had a bird cam, guess that would tell me, but I guess I'm going to have to take it down at night and
get up early to replace it to avoid the problem. Curiously, whatever it is, is not doing this in my other feeders, so it's definitely going after the millet exclusively and it's a big problem to cleanout without
taking feeder full of seed apart because the tray has only holes small enough to let rain water pass through. Hoping someone knows who / what my nocturnal perpetrator is. Thanks in advance to the hero who has the answer!
Hi Patti, I don't know where you live, but flying squirrels are likely nocturnal feeders. They are very common here in woodsy suburban Sarasota, FL, right near houses; and they are very adept and silent gliders to bird feeders. Just an idea anyway. Enjoy your PB's and maybe FS's, too.
This year I have about 8 males and 3 greenies, last year I had the opposite about 12 greenies and 5 males. They used to come to my feeder a few times a day now there are some of them there all day, they chase each other around off and on the feeder and love the birdbath that it is close to it. I put some of the seed on the ground and water it in and now that the seed has grown into plants with the seeds ready to eat they love to get on them and eat the seeds right off of the plants.
Hello & Happy New Year! Just an update on my little bunting group hangin' here in Boca Raton with me since
mid October, eating the provided millet like crazy & partaking at the cardinals feeder occasionaly, eating sunflower hearts & safflower too. I have 4 or 5 greenies, but only one colorful male, so I'm wondering...are the
males terrritorial during migration, not allowing other males to join in at the feeders? I expected to see more than one of them, but perhaps more will show up later in the winter? As far as the concern over millet prices and availability,
no problem here, I buy a 28 oz. bag of organic HULLED millet at Whole Foods for $3.98 plus tax, lasts a long time and I think they're thrilled that it's hulled and me too, no hull mess on the ground. A local store near me also sells the unhulled at a reasonable price that I mix in at another feeder with safflower, sunflower chips and nyjer thistle. I have bought it also online reasonably, without too much shipping costs as well.
Hi Patti - Thanks for the update, and for your advice about buying seed in Boca! As for your question - males are not nearly as territorial in the winter range as they are in the breeding range, but they seem to be (based on our volunteers' observations) a little more "self-sufficient" in the early winter, opting for wild food sources for as long as they're available. You may see more adult males as the winter progresses and your feeders become the most reliable and energy-efficient food source. And don't forget, you may have more males than you think - some of those greenies could be young males who will show up next year (or the year after) in their colorful adult plumage! Thanks again for the update! -- Leah, PBOT Program Coordinator
Hello everyone. I just discovered your website and I was thrillled to find it! I have had female buntings or greenies coming to my feeders for the past two years. A male finally appeared around November and has visited my yard everyday ever since. A second one shoes up occasionally. They go to my mixed feeder, bit they also feed from the thistle sock I have for the gold finches. I' ll keep you posted on their behavior if this will help with your research. Best regards.
Hi Peggy,
Welcome. Always wonderful to read about additional people finding the site. May I ask what state are you in? I'm here on the east coast of Florida.
Take Care,
Leslie
Happy New Year to all and a sincere "Thank You" to Leah, Dr.Jamie and the whole UNCW team that works all year to protect our Painted Buntings. I am very grateful for the small contribution I'm able to add to all the work and research being done.
Merry Christmas to you & yours! Grateful for all you do! Best wishes!