![]() June may not have the buildup and excitement of May, but it is still an interesting time in the birding and natural world.īy the time June comes around, the swarms of migrating birds have dissipated, having either gone farther north or settled into their breeding territories. Photo by Chris Bosak An eastern towhee seen in Ridgefield, CT, summer 2019. The difference between the electric blue male and brown female is stark. Also, like most birds that are dimorphic, the female is much duller than the male. Indigo buntings, like many songbirds, are sexually dimorphic, meaning the males and females look different. Male indigo buntings are one of the more striking birds we see in New England, right up there with scarlet tanagers, Baltimore orioles and rose-breasted grosbeaks. Photographing any bird is enough to get my blood pumping, but a bird like an indigo bunting really gets the heart racing - especially when they are being cooperative. It had been a few years since I was able to get photographs of an indigo bunting. It didn’t eat the berries, but rather just used the tree’s branches for a vantage point. Thankfully, the bird was fairly cooperative and even posed for a few photos in a berry tree. The bird to the left was illuminated in that magical evening light. The bunting to the right was in the shade as the evening sun was dipping below the tree line. I thought it was just because I’m getting old and my hearing was playing tricks on me.īut sure enough, there were two male indigo singing: one to the left of me and one to the right. It sounded like it was coming from both directions. I couldn’t tell if the song was coming from the left or the right. There is an indigo bunting around here somewhere I said to myself and instantly abandoned my plans for a long, strenuous walk. The song sounded familiar, but it had been months since I last heard it. The color and variety are spectacular and unmatched by any other time of year.Īn indigo bunting perches in a tree in New England, July 2021. Just as it has to build to its high point, so too will it now taper off as birds continue to push north or settle into nesting and go quiet.Įnjoy these days while they last. It’s called the peak of migration for a reason. I enjoy New England year-round and each month has its special gifts for birdwatchers, but that mid-May walk when everything comes together never gets old. It was the walk I had been anticipating for nearly a year. The insect-like buzzy song of the blue-winged warbler and tropical-like odd song of the cuckoo stood out among the rest. The sounds of the birds add to the magic. Among the highlights were yellow-billed cuckoo, field sparrow and ovenbird. The great sightings didn’t stop with the colorful birds as there were plenty of “dull” birds to see as well. Bobolinks and red-winged blackbirds brought life to the meadow. I had little trouble finding this guy, however, as he flew from one tree to the next revealing its impossibly red plumage in the golden morning light of the rising sun.Īs I continued down the trail, the colors continued: the beautiful red upside-down triangle of the rose-breasted grosbeak, the electric orange of the Baltimore oriole, the dazzling blue of the indigo bunting, the bright yellow of the blue-winged warbler and the slightly darker yellow of the yellow warbler. Despite their awesome coloration, male scarlet tanagers can still be difficult to find among the leafed-out canopy. The distinctive “chick-bree” call could only be a scarlet tanager. Then I heard a familiar song from the tree above me. ![]() Most of the towhees have either moved north or settled into their nesting season and are remaining quiet and out of sight. It was one of the few towhees I saw on the walk compared to the dozens of towhees I had seen during my late April walks. The action started right away with an eastern towhee. That walk happened for me the other day when I got up early and hit the nearest park. Patience is key, sure, but that’s easier said than done. Finally, one day in mid-May, I get that walk I have been waiting for with colorful birds all around. Walk after walk in late April and early May yields some great birds but not the full-on spring spectacle. I am so eager for the spring migration to hit full swing that I start tromping through the woods starting in mid-April expecting to see all the explosive colors of the northward songbird migration through New England. I tell myself that every year but rarely, if ever, do I heed my own advice. ![]()
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