A bit of a different post today - sometimes I cat-blog on the weekend, but today I’m bird-blogging.
This is a picture that got taken by chance when I happenned to look out the window at our niger seed feeder. The bird on the right is a white-crowned sparrow. He travels to the south for the winter and then returns to the Arctic and the Canadian Shield area where the birds normally breed during the summer. They make stops on the way back, and our area has had them for a good 2 - 3 weeks. The bird on the left is the reason however, that I took this photo. That is an indigo bunting. It is common to SW Ontario during the spring and summer, but it is a very secretive bird. My parents remember occasionally seeing this bird several years ago, and I’d never seen one “live” until the past couple of days, and this one cooperated long enough for me to get a shot of it.
Great picture!
I think that the reason we’re seeing more of formerly shy birds is because so many folks are putting out feeders with the right kind of seed. A few days ago I was thrilled when a hummingbird landed on my feeder just as I was about to take it down for a refill. It landed about an inch away from my thumb, sat there for a moment looking at me, then went on with it’s snack of sugar water. Sure wish I’d had a camera for that.