CLOSED: what bird?

Maybe a female Indigo Bunting? I have 5 pictures.

Pic 2 -- If anyone knows the name of the berry that it's eating, I would love to know. I was filling out the application to get my yard certified by Texas Parks and Wildlife as a wildscape when I saw this bird through the window. Would love to add that plant to the list of what's growing in the yard.

Painted Bunting Female I didn't think they bred down here??

I have never seen buntings here in the summer, but my book does show that they summer here. Here's a pic of the back that I have tried to send about 3 times. Hope it only shows up once!

Here's another one of the front.

Here's one more of the back with a better view of the berries for anyone who would like to guess what they might be.

Donna, I think you're right and I'm quite excited about it b/c I don't have a Painted Bunting on my yardlist for this year yet. In fact, I've only seen a Painted Bunting in the yard once before and that was a couple of years ago. Very exciting!

I can't imagine that it would nest here b/c there aren't any boys around. It was following a house sparrow around. Maybe it's having an identity crisis.

here's a pic of my female

the male

a side view of female.
I have some of a immature males but way to many disk to go through to find them

Oooh! Yours is much prettier than mine was. Of course, the glaring sun was on mine so maybe she just looked more bleached out. Still, if it were winter, I'd have thought it was an orange-crowned warbler. Some military plane went overhead and scared her away. I haven't seen her since although I've wasted most of the afternoon looking!

Love your pictures!

glaring suns is the worst when trying to get a good pic. You'll have to watch again in the morning or about 1 hr before dusk. Usually for me 10 a.m. had the most birds at my feeders and best lighting

It came back later in the afternoon and hung out in the shade. Took tons of pics. It looked a lot greener in the shade, but still not as colorful as yours. Maybe its younger?

I checked ebird and its only the third reported sighting of one in Harris County this month. I remember though that a friend said they are common just west of here in San Antonio. I suppose that it's more weird that they draw geographical lines than it is that one would stray over that boundary.

It was eating seeds from an ugly weed that I usually pull up. I started letting them grow when I saw an Indigo Bunting eating the same seeds. Most of my yard is naturalized, but that was one of the very few weeds that I still pulled. Guess I should give up pulling weeds all together -- ugly or not!

My kodak software stopped working and haven't been able to fix it. Windows Photo Gallery really sucks. I think I could have cleaned this photo up nicely with the kodak software. Oh well. See the line of seeds just to the left of the bird or the right middle of the pic as we look at it. That's what she was after.

wonderful picture. Much better in the shade

Possibly a young male. I swear I see the beginning colors developing on it. Mostly some blues around the head and neck.

GP, you have some awesome eyes! I saw it yesterday too. Maybe if it stays long enough we'll find out for sure. Fingers crossed!

You're so fortunate! I've been watching for a bunting here in the area for years and never sighted one. We live in between Houston and Galveston in the Clear Lake area.

Clear Lake is a great area for birds. You should see buntings when they migrate in the spring especially when and if a cold front comes. Have you gone to High Island to see the buntings and warblers there in the spring? I didn't even know about it until this year. I was amazed!

Haven't seen the bunting for a couple of days now. Maybe she/he decided to head west or north to find others of her kind.

Elphaba--I'm "relatively" new to bird watching in as much as I've haven't made any trips to see them yet, but I'll add High Island to the list! Thanks for the heads up. =)

There are a number of bird sanctuaries there. The best time to go is in April when a cold front comes down. Apparently, if the birds encounter a cold front while flying across the Gulf of Mexico, they get really tired and stop at the first sight of land to rest and refuel. There were orioles, tanagers, warblers and buntings everywhere! There are also free guided bird tours every day in April. I went on one of them and it was awesome. Never would have seen three kinds of vireos in one day or the gray-cheeked thrush without the guide. It's $5 to get into the sanctuaries or buy a year pass for $25. Totally worth it. Be warned, it will turn you into a birding nut!