PHOTOS: A rare, brilliantly colored bird spotted at Maryland park draws large crowds

WASHINGTON (ABC7) — Hundreds of people had the pleasure of seeing a rare, brilliantly colored male painted bunting at a park on the Maryland side of Great Falls during the beginning of the new year.

One of those individuals is local wildlife photographer Kristin Loadwick who tells ABC7 she had the pleasure of watching and capturing photos of the bird.

"My first sighting of him was the early week of the new year. He was heard to be first seen at Great Falls in Maryland and seems to be taking an indefinite but most welcomed vacation here. He has been here since approximately the first of the new year, which is a great way to start the year for many onlookers and photographers who enjoy the canal," Loadwick says.

The painted bunting is known for its array of colors, blue heads, red bottom, and green backs. These birds are commonly seen in Florida and other regions of the south, not in Maryland. While it's unknown how the painted bunting made it to the area, it shows that climate change is causing a change in birds' ranges during winter and breeding seasons, according to the Washington Post.

The Post reported that over 100 people came to the park to see the bird on Sunday at the start of the new year.

"The Painted Bunting seems to be sticking around Lock 17 and when he is not fluffing around in the straw twigs on the ground, says Loadwick, he has been seen flying down over the large rock wall where he can play hide and seek, take a nap, sun himself inside the crevasses of the rocks or the thick grass and vines with the berries he seems to enjoy."

Loadwick says when the painted bunting would pop out to say hello to the bird enthusiasts you could hear the gasp of awe and excitement from the crowd.