By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
On Sunday morning, the first day of summer, I arrived in the Rincon Del Diablo shortly after sunrise. Before the sun climbed over the line of trees along the creek, the air was pleasant, balmy, breezy.
I woke up early so I could head out into the field early. I’d visited on Saturday morning, but by the time I arrived in the mid-morning, it was already hot enough to be unpleasant. I know, I’m such a wuss.
On Saturday morning, I’d caught glimpses of two of the Rincon’s star summer residents – a Blue Grosbeak and a Painted Bunting.
When I returned Sunday, my goal was to get good photos of both birds, and I thought they would be a little more active earlier in the morning.
When I arrived, Yellow-breasted Chats whooped and chortled from perches at the edge of the carrizo along the creek, and deeper in the carrizo, Olive Sparrows sang their distinctive songs, a string of accelerating “chip” notes.
I was also glad to be out in the field on the first day of summer, the mid-point of the year. From here, the year will again begin waning toward winter, the days getting shorter and shorter.
I found both the Blue Grosbeak and Painted Bunting without any difficulties.
The Blue Grosbeak resisted my efforts to “pish” him closer. He and his lady looked like they were busy feeding chicks, and had no time for my nonsense.
The male Painted Bunting was a different story altogether.
On Saturday, I’d found this incredibly beautiful bird singing from the top of a tree near where I had parked the car.
On Sunday, the Painted Bunting contented himself with slightly lower perches, making it a little less difficult to take his picture.
The Painted Bunting is easily the most beautiful and distinctive bird that can be found in the Rincon.
The adult male has bright red, blue, green and neon yellow plumage, and it looks, as the great Roger Tory Peterson once observed, as though it had fallen into God’s paintbox.
We are fortunate because Painting Buntings are fairly common in our area, as they prefer brushy edges near open meadowlands.
In the Rincon, these lovely birds have everything they need – lots of brush for cover and nesting, a nearby source of clean, clear water and plenty of food in the form of small insects and grass seeds.
I’m glad I was able to start my summer watching this incredible bird.
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Contact the author at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
