Painted bunting spotted in Mankato

Edie Schmierbach, The Free Press, Mankato, Minn.
·2 min read

May 10—MANKATO — "He's not in Kansas, Toto" is likely what savvy and lucky birdwatchers said to their dogs while walking along Red Jacket Trail recently.

That trail was one of the locations for a handful of confirmed sightings of a striking bird that rarely travels this far north.

The unexpected sighting of a painted bunting in Mankato meant Bethany Lutheran College biology professor Chad Heins was able to add to his list of birds he's spotted in Blue Earth County.

The Minnesota Ornithologist Union's website lists a 2019 confirmed painted bunting sighting for Blue Earth County.

Painted buntings' spring migration routes from Florida normally stop about 400 miles southwest of Minnesota.

"Looks like he overshot northern Kansas by about two states," said Heins, referring to the brightly plumed lone male who arrived in town during the weekend.

Heins said this spring's turbulent weather patterns may have resulted in a bird being blown off the route to its usual destination. He added that hormones and the quest to find a mate may have factored into the painted bunting's local stop for rest.

"Occasionally, we get an over-enthusiastic male who mixes in with migrating goldfinches. He will wander into a flock and then just go wherever they take him."

Several years ago, Heins was in a southwest state when he added a painted bunting to his "life list" of birds. Males sport red, blue and lime-green feathers while a female's plumage is a monochromatic lime green.

Heins identified Mankato's visitor on Sunday. The colorful but shy little bird sat still long enough for a photo to be snapped.

"It didn't turn out so good," said Heins, who was not satisfied with the resulting image. "The sun was shining on him (the painted bunting) when John Frentz got a better picture."

The misdirected bird has likely flown away from Mankato by now, Heins said. Unexpected sightings of birds usually are recorded within a one-day window of time.

Spring migration season is not yet over, so birders still have time to use their binoculars. If they are lucky, they may get to experience another unexpected bird sighting in the area. Earlier this spring, Heins identified a bird that usually heads toward western states.

"I saw a spotted towhee near the Cobb River at Mapleton," he said.