Date: 9/21/25 10:20 pm From: Pete Sole <pete...> Subject: [MBBIRDS] Bunting?, Redstart, and More
Hi birders,
This morning (Sunday), I chased a few birds on the West Side of Santa Cruz.
At the Lighthouse Community Garden, there was a bunting that I think has
been previously reported as Lazuli Bunting. However, after reviewing my
photos, I'm wondering if it is an Indigo Bunting. Here are a bunch of
large, only cropped, photos:
The first 2 photos and the last 3 photos are the same bird. I'm not sure
sure that all 5 are the same bunting, although I think so. What is
throwing me off, is that in the second set of photos (d,e,f), we can
clearly see some streaking. The most likely species is Lazuli Bunting,
but what do you think?
Also of interest, one of the American Redstarts continued in Lighthouse
Field, in the line of willows at the Laguna street entrance. For, ahem,
documentary photos of the Redstart, see the ebird report here:
Finally, at the Lighthouse Community Garden there was a Black Phoebe
that nabbed a dragonfly. The bug was so big, that the Phoebe seemed to
be struggling to figure out how to eat it! For fun photos see:
