I returned to see the painted bunting at Great Falls, MD & got closer views of
this rarity that has been hanging out since December, 2020. It seems more
colorful than males I photographed in SC. It has a red (versus orange)
triangle color at its throat and some other colors on its wings also look more
saturated than I remember â though I'm no bunting expert. Itâs worth a trip
if you havenât seen it (or the one in Fairfax County, which is feeding mainly
on private property). At 10 am on Sat., 2/6, about 20ish photographers,
birders, & curious hikers gawked at it feeding by the base of the C&O Canal
Towpath's stone wall on its south side, due south of Lock 17. Occasionally it
darted into the "caves" between the wall's big stones. The bunting has been
feeding on invasive beefsteak plant and other foliage. But I saw a photo
recently that appeared to show it eating millet and other birdseed that someone
had spread out for it. (BTW, on days the bunting is NOT right at Lock 17 on
the flat, dirt (or very muddy) towpath and in the  gully as it has been
lately, birders will need to trek down a short and somewhat steep, rocky side
trail off the towpath.)Â GPS coordinates: 38.995663, -77.247552 . Â Some pix
here: https://www.flickr.com/gp/olympusbjs/V825R2
 * Barb, Fairfax
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