Ranch - 04

This little beauty was the real reason for my trip to the Waco ranch. Painted buntings are an absolute treasure in Texas. They are relatively common but no less spectacular. In the spring, they are establishing territory, finding mates, and establishing nests. We found this guy in a line of trees adjacent to the jack rabbits. He flew down to the rocks in the dry creek bed and was fluttering his wings in a shimmer and telling us this was HIS domain. His feathers were vibrating on his back in the direct sunlight causing an odd blur effect on his upper back despite the 1/1000 shutter speed and clear focus elsewhere.


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