InsaneJournal

Current mood:	chipper
Entry tags:	birds, farm, wildlife

Indigo Buntings
We have indigo buntings. That completes our usual summer bird list, since we saw a red headed woodpecker several times on Sunday. I saw one bunting a week ago, but now we have several males making themselves visible around the feeders. Click photo at right for more information about these tiny, intensely blue birds. They are tiny, the size of a nuthatch or a small sparrow, but what they lack in size they make up in brilliant color and loud little bursts of song.

They probably won't stay around for long. Usually we see them in May and that's the end of it here, though other people in the county say they have them all summer. I suspect that our yard area is too shady for them and they prefer a more open place with sun. After all, in the shade their blue feathers don't look quite as brilliant. The females are plain brown, though I haven't yet seen one.

In past years I'd have been expecting to see bluebirds out in the pasture, but for the last couple of years they've been absent. Dunno why, there were lots of them before that. Hopefully they'll be back. Barn swallows are nesting in the horse barn. Orioles are singing and visiting feeders here regularly. We've seen a hummingbird two or three times. Now where's the tufted titmouse? Too shy, I expect, though it should be here. I've only seen one in our yard ever. I saw a yellow bellied sapsucker back in March, but just once. We'd like to see more of them too. Likewise the Eastern Towhee, who I'm assured is here, but we have yet to see.

Good thing the coming weekend is a long one, as I'm feeling worn out and it's not even Wednesday yet.