Painted Bunting Out of Range

Photo Submission

Submitted By

Andrew Mills

Potomac, MD, USA

Description

This Painted Bunting strayed from his usual winter grounds and found his way up to Washington D.C., becoming a local celebrity and drawing bird watchers from around the region. He was pretty reliably seen foraging on certain areas of the tow path and nearby trails. This photo was taken in a light snow at the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, Great Falls National Park in Maryland on the morning of Inauguration Day, 2021. It took about four hours for him to get comfortable and close enough to get this image, but I’m glad I stayed for this once-in-a-lifetime sighting.