Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Indigo Bunting in Winter Plumage

Indigo Bunting 1-16-09
We often encounter interesting things; when we least expect it.  Nobody expects to find a male Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea), in the middle of January.  Definitely, not in the mountains of West Virginia.

I was walking through my yard, filling up the bird feeders, the sun was high and bright.  I walked by a blue junco; several times.  It took a little while to realize that the bright sun or my eyes were not causing a color illusion.

I rushed into the house to get my brand new Nikon D60; which had never even been outside before.  I quickly took several photos, with whatever settings were on the camera at the time.  You have to understand that I never even had the battery in the new camera; before this moment.  I had yet to do anything except try to read the owners manual.

Here is the result of the first digital photo; that I have ever taken.  A once in a lifetime capture of a  male Indigo Bunting; in winter plumage.  The northernmost wintering grounds for this species is southern Florida.
This photo was taken on January 16, 2009, at Norton in Randolph County, West Virginia.

Be observant and be prepared, you never know what opportunities may arise.

1 comment:

  1. Wow, what a beautiful shot! How rare indeed to be fortunate to have come across this Bunting! We have them here but they are so shy and we only see them as they quickly stop at the feeder and then fly off to never be seen again. Such a pretty bird the Blue Bunting is. Congrats on the opportunity of photographing this one!

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