*Painted Bunting image captured in 2023. 1/800, f/6.3, ISO 6400*

Chasing Color in the Coastal Wind

April is one of my favorite times to be on South Padre Island, Texas. Although not for the beach crowds or warm breezes, but for the tiny flashes of color darting through the trees and brush.

This is spring migration season, and South Padre becomes a rest stop for some of the most vibrant songbirds you'll see all year.

I try to make it out at least a few times every April. Each visit feels like a treasure hunt—never quite knowing what I’ll find, but always hoping for something wild and unexpected.

*Summer Tanager, 1/1000, f/7.1, ISO 1000*

While I consider myself more of an amateur birder than a pro, I’ve developed a deep appreciation for these seasonal visitors. I may not always remember the names of every species I see, but I absolutely love the challenge of capturing them on camera.

What I love is being out in nature, camera in hand, seeking out birds to photograph—it’s my church; it’s peaceful, unpredictable, and always rewarding in its own way.

And yes, I’m even willing to deal with the mosquitoes that seem to find me no matter where I stand.

On this trip, I was specifically hoping to photograph a painted bunting—a bird so colorful it looks like someone cranked the saturation slider too far. The varied bunting was also on my list, a rare beauty for this area that sometimes makes an appearance this time of year.

Neither showed up for me today.

But that’s part of what keeps this kind of photography exciting—you never really know what the island will offer.

*Indigo Bunting, 1/1250, f/7.1, ISO 1250*

I may not have crossed off my buntings, but I did manage to photograph an indigo bunting—that rich blue plumage never gets old—and a few summer tanagers, with their brilliant red and yellow flashes cutting through the greenery like sparks.

These birds are small, and they move so fast.

Photographing song birds is all about patience, timing, and luck.

*Summer tanager, 1/1000, f/7.1, ISO 1250*

A Few Takeaways

Mornings are best. The light is soft and the birds are more active.
Bring a long lens—300mm minimum, but 500mm+ is even better.
Keep your shutter fast (1/1000 or faster) to freeze motion.
Expect more misses than hits. These birds are quick.
And bring your determination—it helps more than any setting.

I am hoping to return to SPI one more time this month, before I head out to Baja for orcas. Because you never know—maybe that painted bunting will be waiting for me and my camera, perched in the open, on that perfect branch, bathed in perfect light.

And if not, well… I’ll be the one out there again, talking to myself, chasing shadows, and hoping the mosquitoes go easy on me this time.