A male Painted Bunting, probably the most colourful bird that I have ever photographed. This is not a common species in the USA but can be found easily once you know where to look.

I returned to Palm Beach County today hoping to improve on the Painted Bunting photogrphs that I took the day before yesterday.  We had been told of another area where you can get really good close up views and so it proved. Whats more, it was quiet, very quiet and for the afternoon I had the Painted Buntins to mysel. I am even more amazed with this species now that I have seen them so close up.  They were coming to a feeding station and if I remained still they were not all that concerned about me sitting on the ground very close to them. The bird above is an adult male in full colour, one of at least 3 in the new place. In adittion there were females and youngsters as well. I amquite sure that the bird below is a juvenile but females are also this colour.

This is almost certainly a juvenile bird. You can tell this by the presence of light coloured "fleshy gapes" at the corner of the beak. This proves that not only was this bird bred close by but also that it is around 8 to 10 weeks old which proves that breeding took place as late as October 2011.