NATURE CLICKS #580 - INDIGO BUNTING

Indigo Bunting, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

Yesterday in the wetlands I tried to capture some beautiful yellow American Golfinches, eating seeds from the plants that line the dykes between the lakes. It wasn’t a very successful effort. The goldfinches didn’t like my presence and moved on to another spot any time I stopped the car. But to my surprise another finch species posed nicely for a while in front of the camera. This was the first time I ever saw an Indigo Bunting in the grass and between the flowers on the dyke. This little guy was singing its heart out and I heard a second one nearby.Their feathers are actually black but the diffraction of light through their feathers make them look blue. One reason we can see them in many shades between turquoise and black.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Sigma APO Teleconverter 1.4x EX DG

BLUE, AS PRETTY AS IT CAN GET

Indigo Buntings

One of the prettiest birds here during the summer is the Indigo Bunting. They are not present all the time and it is always difficult to get them in front of the lens. Last weekend I was lucky and had three of them here. The diffraction of light through their actually black feathers make them look blue and make identification very easy.

MORE BIRD ARRIVALS

Male Indigo Bunting

Before I post a few more pictures from our trip to Las Vegas I like to give you an update on more bird arrivals here on the bluffs above the Little Maquoketa River Valley. This morning I saw the first Indigo Bunting in our woods this year. This small blue looking finch is easy to identify. We don’t see very many up here on our ridge but down in the valley near the edge of the woods they are more common.

Female Rose-breasted Grosbeak

The first Rose-breasted Grosbeak showed up already two weeks ago. Now we can see several males and at least two females that use our sunflower seeds to gain strength again after their long migration from South America.

Other birds have arrived as well and I may show more photos later this week.

Male Rose-breasted Grosbeak -- All images: Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens, tripod, INDURO GHB2 gimbal head, Nikon SB 800 speed light, Better Beamer flash extender

NATURE CLICKS #284 - INDIGO BUNTING

Nikon D750, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM

I wrote a few days ago about that we haven’t seen the same numbers of certain birds, especially warblers, as last year. This is also true for the Indigo Bunting, a regular summer resident here in Iowa. They usually visit our bird feeders sometimes during the summer but this year I have seen the species only once so far in the front yard.

This photo was made last weekend in the Green Island Wetlands and before I was able to locate the bird I heard its singing efforts , which sounds really beautiful. 

Blue is my favorite color but Indigo Buntings are actually black. It is the diffraction of light through their feathers that make them look blue and this explains why males can appear in many different shades from turquoise to black (source: iBird Pro app).