Well, I did it... I figured it would be good to try to draw in some new readers, so I joined the A-Z Challenge. There will be no big changes, except I'll find ways to tack my finds to the appropriate letter of the alphabet. If I begin to get a huge number of comments that are just the "passing through" kind, I may not respond to them all.
Now, for the B. There are still several nifty things from the Saturday hike to show you. One of the very best was spotting a male Indigo Bunting, Passerina Cyanea.
They are shockingly blue! But only when it's time to show off to the drab, brown ladies. The rest of the year, they are just brown, too.
The biggest surprise to me, as I put this picture on Shark Shots, was to learn that they are cousins of the cardinal. They are a family of birds, Cardinalidae with large beaks for seed-eating. Some grosbeaks and some buntings, as well as cardinals fit here.
Ellen says that they come to her feeder, but I don't see the indigo buntings very often. I absolutely love them. The slightly more subtle Eastern Bluebird is still my favorite blue bird, for reasons I can't really identify, but the indigo bunting just ZINGS.
 | See My Bluebird of Happiness |
| if you like this blog, click the +1 | |
21 comments:
I didn't know they weren't always blue. I see them sometimes. I wonder if my husband knows. He is the big bird lover and knows what many kinds are. I will have to ask.
What a beautiful little bird! One of mu very best friends got really into bird watching a couple of years ago and has opened my eyes even more to all the colors and sounds of our bird friends,
Living in an urban area I don't get to see too many, but we do have a wild peacock that lives in the neighborhood! In LA! Weird, huh?
Thanks so much for the visit and comment over on my blog and best of luck with the A to Z Challenge! I get so excited to see blogs on the list about nature and cooking and travel, and all the wonderful non-writing topics out there!
Alana @ writercize.blogspot.com
What a lovely blue bird! Thanks for visiting me, and I hope to see more of you at A to Z! Julie
I was not aware that they are brown also sometimes. But i guess they are looking more beautiful in this blue color. Very rarely we get to see these kinds of birds. I am glad i found it here. :)
I'm a new visitor, and I certainly enjoyed your post. It just happened my post also involved birds...
Looking forward to more posts!
Doris
You have some interesting encounters in your days :)
Wagging Tales
Hello,
What a wonderful post! I found you on the A to Z Challenge, and I will definitely be back to read more of your lovely writing!! Keep up the great work.
Stop over at my site too if you get a chance. :) I write humor stuff (or sometimes serious stuff that people laugh at? Does that make it humor then?).
Best,
MOV
Beautiful bird! The cardinal is one of my favorites, but such a tricky critter to get a shot of. Nice to meet you, and I'm glad you made it to the A-Z Challenge :-)
A-Z 2012 (#49) - Bloggit Write A-Z 2012 - Poetry
A-Z 2012 (#861) - Bloggit Write A-Z 2012 - Haiku
Very beautiful bird. I enjoy hiking as well and love taking nature photos. Good luck on visiting all the A-Z blogs.
Beautiful bird.
Best of luck on the challenge.
HMG
You are a busy lady. Hope all these new visitors leave some space for my comments.
Fun bird facts on the Indigo bunting. How do you get from Sharkbyte to Birds? Sound kind of gruesome.
Nice to meet you.
Very nice bunting photo. We have lots of bird books in our library as hubby is a confirmed birder.
Will be following, so drop in at my blog now and again. Nice to meet you.
It always strikes me that with humans, the women are the bright ones. But for birds, the females are drab. What a striking blue!
Blue and beautiful :)
Universal Gibberish
That is so odd that they can change colors.
I just discovered your blog through the A-Z and I love it. What a wonderful theme for a blog! I'd never heard of this kind of bird before but this little guy is beautiful.
Looking forward to reading more of your blog, it's great to meet you.
Beautiful bird! Welcome to the Challenge.
Gregg Metcalf
he's a real beauty! I saw my first bluebird last year, and it was amazing. Also my first gold finch! I wonder if the new activity might be due in part to the demise of the cat next door.
I loved Indigo Buntings from the first moment I saw them. That brilliant blue color is stunning when you see them for the first time.
I like your newest blog background.
I love it when I can spot a blue bird. Being partially color-blind most birds are hard for me to spot but the blue ones always seem to pop right out at me.
Post a Comment