Jim,
>From info I have received the bird has not yet sung, and I question the
validity of song this early in the season. I think it is perhaps a month, or
more, too early. I went and saw the bird, and am persuaded by Deborah W. P
that they are not caged birds; and they have been sighted and accepted in
Oregon. The bird was a bit shy, someone moved in the group this am, the
bird flew, and then returned, (even though we kept a good distance away, and
were very quiet) not seeming comfortable with people. According to my
Smithonian Handbook, the coloration sounds normal for a young male.However I
cannot find my Sparrow book at the moment, not sure it is even in there. I
would also question it singing so early in the season, even as a wild bird.
It would be a nice State bird for me, but since they nest in Kansas, from
whence I come; it would be no lifer.... But if we can get a duck from Asia,
and can Utah can have Roseate Spoonbills, according to the book Refuge, by
Terry Tempest Williams, why not a Painted Bunting here? Vicki Biltz Bonney
Lake Wa.
vickibiltz at msn.com