INDIGO BUNTING

For the last few days a handsome Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) has been seen in the area of a glorious pea field about a mile and a half up Turri Rd. from So. Bay Blvd. When looking for a rare bird, the easiest way to find it is to first find the birders. As I rounded a curve in the road, up ahead was a cluster of parked cars and a covey of birders, one with sound recording equipment and a scope. I had arrived.

The Bunting was singing from atop a cluster of willows that was located along the edge of the narrow, two lane road. The scene could not have been more beautiful, for the willows were located in a vast field of flowering peas. Notice, in Maggie Smith's photo, how the subtle color of the peas sets off the deep blue of this precious song bird.


I did a little research and discovered that Indigo Bunting's are actually Black; it is the diffraction of light through their feathers that makes them look blue. It goes without saying that this beautiful Bunting made my day.

(I apologize for the fuzzy pea foto, wrong setting on camera)