Indigo Buntings

[FancyBelle]

Here's more of the indigo - he really is sticking around You'd think I put birdy crack in the seed or somthing.

I have two that come to my finch feeders everyday. They are so pretty mixed in with the yellow & green finches, but they scare easily and I can't get a pic of them.

 

[dems4me]

I just had an indigo bunting on my feeder at work. I had never seen one before IRL.

Please go put him back in my yard


Congrats on seeing them. Someone told me their feathers are really black and its the light in the sun reflecting on them that make them appear blue. Don't know if its true or not but I LOVE those birds. I just have the one... but luckily he comes to the feeder every morning and every night. I'd probably freak if I didn't see him one night Petey's really become quite trusting of me and lets me take pics of him. I just figured y'all would get tired after about 50 pictures all looking like the same thing so I stopped posting them.

 

[dems4me]

I have two that come to my finch feeders everyday. They are so pretty mixed in with the yellow & green finches, but they scare easily and I can't get a pic of them.

yes, its such an array of color and flash to have the indigo by a yellow finch... the one picture I have, it made the finch look fake and waxy

 

[desertrat]

yes, its such an array of color and flash to have the indigo by a yellow finch... the one picture I have, it made the finch look fake and waxy

What's that brown thing on the feeder? Looks like a weasel.

 

[dems4me]

What's that brown thing on the feeder? Looks like a weasel.

Its one of those blasted cowbell birds... I've got tons of them.. they are like piglets on the feeders, and sometimes they chase other birds off. Other things can't get up there now. I moved it all 4 feet over to the right on Saturday. The cats were starting to sit on the old built in grill thing and it would discourage the birds from coming up.

 

[BS Gal]

Please go put him back in my yard


Congrats on seeing them. Someone told me their feathers are really black and its the light in the sun reflecting on them that make them appear blue. Don't know if its true or not but I LOVE those birds. I just have the one... but luckily he comes to the feeder every morning and every night. I'd probably freak if I didn't see him one night Petey's really become quite trusting of me and lets me take pics of him. I just figured y'all would get tired after about 50 pictures all looking like the same thing so I stopped posting them.

The bird book says the adult male is deep blue overall; appears black in poor light.

 

[desertrat]

The bird book says the adult male is deep blue overall; appears black in poor light.

Especially at night.

 

[dems4me]

The bird book says the adult male is deep blue overall; appears black in poor light.

That's not much help They all appear black in poor light Here... apparently all birds that are blue (bluebirds and blue jays too) are really black feathers. It says birds have no pigment for creating the color blue. http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/aug98/901568194.Zo.r.html


Also a member of the finch family... no wonder it runs with finches. Put some Nyger seed in your feeder and you will probably see one in your yard http://www.wbu.com/chipperwoods/photos/indigo.htm

Okay, why does mine have a yellow bill... do I have a blue grossbake? WTH do I have look at the beak collars of an indigo and mine What's wrong with mine

 

[desertrat]

That's not much help They all appear black in poor light Here... apparently all birds that are blue (bluebirds and blue jays too) are really black feathers. It says birds have no pigment for creating the color blue. http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/aug98/901568194.Zo.r.html


Also a member of the finch family... no wonder it runs with finches. Put some Nyger seed in your feeder and you will probably see one in your yard http://www.wbu.com/chipperwoods/photos/indigo.htm

Okay, why does mine have a yellow bill... do I have a blue grossbake? WTH do I have look at the beak collars of an indigo and mine What's wrong with mine

Lots of variations. Sex, mating season, age, subspecies,etc. Gets complicated.

 

[dems4me]

Lots of variations. Sex, mating season, age, subspecies,etc. Gets complicated.

Actually I was reading up on them... very interesting they come up from the south some as far as Central America, and up the coast and love the warm weather. They learn their particular "song" from an older male and sticks with it - whatever song the prior male had... and the male arrives to his spring/summer home about 2 weeks before the female arrives. He's supposed to be here getting the next ready for her. And that they fly by the stars at night as their guide. There's been studies done to proove this in an elaborate planatarium - something about the big dipper having a north star on it and its their flight guide. They travel up to 2,000 miles and all during the night and they are a common caged bird in Mexico and England because of their pretty songs and color.

 

[BS Gal]

Actually I was reading up on them... very interesting they come up from the south some as far as Central America, and up the coast and love the warm weather. They learn their particular "song" from an older male and sticks with it - whatever song the prior male had... and the male arrives to his spring/summer home about 2 weeks before the female arrives. He's supposed to be here getting the next ready for her. And that they fly by the stars at night as their guide. There's been studies done to proove this in an elaborate planatarium - something about the big dipper having a north star on it and its their flight guide. They travel up to 2,000 miles and all during the night and they are a common caged bird in Mexico and England because of their pretty songs and color.

I'll bring my camera to work for the next couple weeks. Hope he shows up again. My birds at work just feed on sunflower hearts. They get really mad if I don't fill the feeders. They empty $8.00 of food a week out of them.

 

[dems4me]

I'll bring my camera to work for the next couple weeks. Hope he shows up again. My birds at work just feed on sunflower hearts. They get really mad if I don't fill the feeders. They empty $8.00 of food a week out of them.

They like fruit seeds and insects too!

 

[jazz lady]

Beautiful birds! I've yet to see any in my area, but I do see some beautiful scarlet tanagers around among others, like goldfinches and the occasional bluebird.