Indigo bunting! - Wildlife Gardeners

linrose · 06-01-2011, 02:54 PM

I just saw an Indigo bunting at the feeder! Their color is so striking. I don't see them very often, perhaps they prefer insects to seed and I just overlook them. I think they are plentiful in the East during summertime but I rarely see them. It feels like my lucky day!

philip · 06-01-2011, 03:31 PM

Wow.
They are amazing looking creatures.
Good stuff, this will be my bird of the day.

jack · 06-01-2011, 04:25 PM

I saw one only once, and it was an amazing experience. Congrats on seeing one on your property. I didn't even know they went to feeders.

Amazingly beautiful color, they have.

Get a picture if he hangs around for a few days!!!!

dapjwy · 06-01-2011, 07:27 PM

I saw one coming for black oil sunflower seeds this spring...the first time I saw one in real life.

Gloria · 06-01-2011, 11:21 PM

Lucky you. The very best reason for bird feeders is to get a look at some amazing birds. Maybe he will hang around for a few days.

linrose · 06-02-2011, 07:21 AM

He was at a black oil sunflower feeder, will he move on or perhaps nest nearby?

havalotta · 06-02-2011, 01:07 PM

Oh wouldn't THAT be great!

Gloria · 06-02-2011, 01:57 PM

Kentucky is one of the states where numbers are high for breeding.
Check out the distribution maps.
Distribution of the Indigo Bunting

And habitat requirements.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/I...ng/lifehistory

Quote:

Food...Small insects, spiders, seeds, buds, and berries.

Breeds in brushy and weedy areas along edges of cultivated land, woods, roads, power line rights-of-way, and in open deciduous woods and old fields.
Winters in weedy fields, citrus orchards, and weedy cropland.Some wintering in Florida but mostly tropical migration.

Nest Description
Open cup of soft leaves, coarse grasses, stems, and strips of bark, held in place with spider web, lined with fine grasses or deer hair. Placed in shrub or herbaceous plant close to ground.

linrose · 06-07-2011, 07:33 PM

Well, the indigo bunting is still here. I saw him today at the feeder and my daughter saw him over the weekend. There must be a nest nearby but I don't know their habits, I'll have to do some research on them. I have no idea what the females look like but they are about the size of a finch and we have lots of goldfinches at the feeder too.

dapjwy · 06-07-2011, 07:46 PM

Thanks for reminding me--I forgot to post that I spotted a glimpse of an indigo bunting (I think) flitting around in my hedgerow...I believe a more drab (brownish) female was with him...I'll have to grab the bird book to see what she looks like.

<getting book, flipping through pages>

Yup! She is brown...so, I'm guessing that is what I saw: a pair of indigo buntings.

06-01-2011, 02:54 PM	#1
linrose WG Fundraising Coordinator Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Kentucky	Indigo bunting! I just saw an Indigo bunting at the feeder! Their color is so striking. I don't see them very often, perhaps they prefer insects to seed and I just overlook them. I think they are plentiful in the East during summertime but I rarely see them. It feels like my lucky day!

06-01-2011, 04:25 PM	#3
jack Great Horned Owl Join Date: May 2010 Location: Northeastern MA	I saw one only once, and it was an amazing experience. Congrats on seeing one on your property. I didn't even know they went to feeders. Amazingly beautiful color, they have. Get a picture if he hangs around for a few days!!!! __________________ "Know thyself." Oracle at Delphi

06-01-2011, 07:27 PM	#4
dapjwy WG Hospitality & UAOKA recipient Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Pennsylvania	I saw one coming for black oil sunflower seeds this spring...the first time I saw one in real life. __________________ "If suburbia were landscaped with meadows, prairies, thickets or forests, or combinations of these, then the water would sparkle, fish would be good to eat again, birds would sing and human spirits would soar." ~ Lorrie Otto ~ A Native Backyard Blog ~

06-01-2011, 11:21 PM	#5
Gloria A Bee's Best Friend Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Chicago Illinois USA	Lucky you. The very best reason for bird feeders is to get a look at some amazing birds. Maybe he will hang around for a few days. __________________ "Half Earth Quest" Edward O. Wilson http://pollinators-welcome.blogspot.com/

06-02-2011, 01:07 PM	#7
havalotta WG Prize & Gift Coordinator Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Michigan	Oh wouldn't THAT be great! __________________ The successful woman is the woman that had the chance and took it! A walk among the elusive Whitetail Deer

06-01-2011, 03:31 PM	#2
philip Salamander Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: North Bergen / Cliffside Park New Jersey	Wow. They are amazing looking creatures. Good stuff, this will be my bird of the day.

06-02-2011, 07:21 AM	#6
linrose WG Fundraising Coordinator Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Kentucky	He was at a black oil sunflower feeder, will he move on or perhaps nest nearby?

06-07-2011, 07:33 PM	#9
linrose WG Fundraising Coordinator Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Kentucky	Well, the indigo bunting is still here. I saw him today at the feeder and my daughter saw him over the weekend. There must be a nest nearby but I don't know their habits, I'll have to do some research on them. I have no idea what the females look like but they are about the size of a finch and we have lots of goldfinches at the feeder too.

06-07-2011, 07:46 PM	#10
dapjwy WG Hospitality & UAOKA recipient Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Pennsylvania	Thanks for reminding me--I forgot to post that I spotted a glimpse of an indigo bunting (I think) flitting around in my hedgerow...I believe a more drab (brownish) female was with him...I'll have to grab the bird book to see what she looks like. <getting book, flipping through pages> Yup! She is brown...so, I'm guessing that is what I saw: a pair of indigo buntings. __________________ "If suburbia were landscaped with meadows, prairies, thickets or forests, or combinations of these, then the water would sparkle, fish would be good to eat again, birds would sing and human spirits would soar." ~ Lorrie Otto ~ A Native Backyard Blog ~

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode