Painted Bunting: I stopped by a little cove at the big lake at Laguna Atascosa because I saw a ringed kingfisher. The kingfisher left before I could get any pictures, however, so I decided to wait a few minutes to see if it would return. A little later, I saw what I thought was a cardinal in a thorn bush a few feet away. It turned out to be a painted bunting. The bird flew down to the edge of the lake, out of my view. It reappeared after obviously taking a bath. It’s rare to see a painted bunting this time of the year and I’m not certain if it was just passing through or a permanent refuge resident. Anyway, seeing a painted bunting is always a big treat.
