June 23, 2021
“We don’t own the planet earth
we belong to it.
And we must share it
with our wildlife.”
~ Steve Irwin
taken June 11, 2021
f-stop: f/5.6; exposure time: 1/60sec; ISO 400
focal length 300mm
CANON EOS Rebel xt
edited in PhotoShop
available at Picfair
I was getting ready to go outside earlier today and noticed the male Indigo Bunting flirting around the grape arbor out front. I stood in the door way for a few minutes, just watching…surprised it had stuck around. I shouldn’t really be surprised…I’ve noticed more birds sticking around than normal. Namely, the Pileated Woodpecker, Indigo Bunting and Red Winged Blackbird. What ever is going on, I won’t complain.
Indigo
spiritual
mysterious
integrity
traditional
idealistic
intuition
(pinterest)
So I thought I’d share some info on the Indigo Bunting…
- small, seed eating bird in the Cardinal family
- females do almost all the work, staying hidden in dense thickets
- favor brushy edges over unbroken forest
- forages at all levels from the ground up
- eats insects, seeds and berries
- lays up to 4 eggs at a time, that are whit to blueish-white; incubation 12 to 14 days
- young leave the nest 9 to 12 days after hatching
light blue – all seasons/uncommon
dark red: breeding/common
light red/pink: breeding/uncommon
light blue: all season’s/uncommon
dark gray: migration/common
light gray: migration/uncommon
(audobon.org)
- male establishes territory and defends it with song
- male may have more than 1 mate living on its territory
- nest site is 1-3 feet above ground level, may nest in goldenrod late in the season
- nest is an open cup of grass, weeds, leaves, and bark strips and lined with finer materials; built by the female
- (Indigo Bunting | Audubon Field Guide)
Songs (youtube)
nickname: blue canary
ranges from Canada to Florida, northern South America in winter
(duckduckgo image search)
- their blue like color comes from microscopic structures in the feathers that refract and reflect blue light
- the oldest recorded Indigo Bunting was a male that was 13 years old, 3 months old when it was recaptured and rereleased in Ohio, during branding procedures
Spirit Guide:
- Buntings speak of knowledge and intelligence with an emphasis on utilizing your voice to “sing” beautifully
- Blue/Indigo Buntings speak of love, truth and good; teaching how to camoflage in order to rest and that emotions may need to surface in order to heal (starstuff.com)
(duckduckgo search)
hope you have a great day!
thanks for stopping by!!
If you let another lead you
instead of aiding you
You will become a shadow
for your true purpose lies
within the silent whispers
of your soul
take care
stay safe
much love