Lazuli Bunting | Texas Tweeties by Bob Zeller

I have spent these cold days at the computer, re-editing some older images that I had made several years ago. Since my post-editing has improved with newer software, I thought that I would post some of those older photos again. Of course, my favorite of the buntings here in west Texas has to be the Painted Bunting. Truly, a bird that has colors, that on close examination, appears to be hand-painted by the Man upstairs himself. There are even smeared spots that it looks like He got a bit “outside the lines”.

Painted Bunting

Painted Bunting – singing from the highest treetops.

Painted Bunting – bath time.

Painted Bunting – female of the species.

Equally pretty, is the the Lazuli Bunting. This one photographed at the Hummer House Bird Refuge at Christoval, Texas.

Lazuli Bunting

Then we can’t forget the Indigo Bunting. This one seems to be enjoying a shower under an artificial mister. Photographed at the same location.

Indigo Bunting – shower time

Below we have the Lark Bunting. This specie is actually in the sparrow family, a Calamospiza, where the other buntings are Passerinas. I have included it simply because of the name. This is an adult winter male. The summer adult male is black except for the white flashings on the wings.

Lark Bunting – adult winter male

There is another bunting in west Texas that I have yet to see or photograph, and that is the Varied Bunting. I hope to get an image of it this year and you will be the first to know. I hope you have enjoyed these. Just click on any of them to see some nice enlargements.

Prints of these photos are available for sale, as is my book “Birds, Beasts and Buttes”. Contact me for more information.

These are some photos I shot of a Lazuli Bunting (Passerina amoena), back in May of 2010. It was at the Hummer House in Christoval, Texas. They have a large viewing room with large plate glass windows, with seating for about 35 people. This particular day the sun was shining bright and there were many species of birds present.

When I bird there, I find a comfortable spot so I have my camera on a tripod right next to the window. I attach my Canon 500mm f4 IS lens and a 1.4 tele-converter. Dan Brown, the owner of the establishment keeps the birds well fed and a little mister keeps spraying a bit of water intermittently over a little pond in front. The distance from my camera to these buntings approximately 30 feet.

Lazuli Bunting

The two images above were both photographed in aperture priority, 1/640 sec @ f5.6 at an ISO of 500, partial metering.

Lazuli Bunting

The above image was shot about two years earlier in May of 2008. As you can see all photos were taken during the spring migration. My old camera, a Canon EOS 40D was used at this time. I still had my 500mm lens, though, and the exposure was 1/320 sec. @ f7.1, with ISO of 800. Aperture priority with center weighted metering.

I hope you enjoyed my photographs of the Lazuli Bunting. Click on either of them to see an enlarged view.