Posted by Paul-the other; not Paul B, not Paul L on March 14, 2004 at 20:58:02:
At first we thought Okeeheelee was going to be a bust. We arrived at 8:30 and waited until 9:50 with no sighting of anything except 4 squirrels. Then at 9:50 it seemed the woods and sky opened up and buntings were everywhere...at one time there were 8 on the ground with another 7-10 in the bushes. Between the three in my group we ripped off over 250 pictures in 30 minutes..the cameras were smoking. The Indigos are dressed to kill and what can you say about the Painted. Gorgeous! Both male and females were coming and going with gay abandon and what is truly exciting they flit by, feed, pose, preen, and even fight all within 10 feet of the photographers and other observers. No place like this for bunting action.
No thrashers this morning and no oven bird. One downey woodpecker, about 15 mourning dove, one blue jay (seemed sort of out of place). By 11:30 we were out of film and flash cards. One catbird showed just as our gear was packed away.