I Took a Lot of Photos
I Took a Lot of Photos of this bird, the Indigo Bunting, I was under the impression that being in the far south was the only place you would see this bird. But come to find out I saw it all the way up into Illinois. Now I know they don’t come to Michigan, that is a little to far north for them. 🙂
We were out for a walk one day and looked over to the right and here sat this large unusual looking bird. I had to look it up when I got back. Plus I had the bridge camera on this walk and it just does not do very well when you max out the zoom lens on it.
Anything over 400 mm with this bridge camera the photos will not be clear. But I still was able to get a photo of it to write down in my bird book.
It is called a Bobolink, I have never heard of it but it is quite a fascinating bird.
- The Bobolink is one of the world’s most impressive songbird migrants, traveling some 12,500 miles (20,000 kilometers) to and from southern South America every year. Throughout its lifetime, it may travel the equivalent of 4 or 5 times around the circumference of the earth.
- The species name of the Bobolink, oryzivorus means “rice eating” and refers to this bird’s appetite for rice and other grains, especially during migration and in winter.
- A migrating Bobolink can orient itself with the earth’s magnetic field, thanks to iron oxide in bristles of its nasal cavity and in tissues around the olfactory bulb and nerve. Bobolinks also use the starry night sky to guide their travels.
This picture below is from the internet, I did not take it, it is just to show you what it looks like.
I Took a Lot of Photos
33 Replies to “I Took a Lot of Photos”
The colors are inspiring!
Thank you very much 😊
Congrats on the new bird(s). I really like the Bobs and always make a point to travel to see them each year. There are a couple of “sure thing” locations about 3-4 miles north of us. Ron always calls them the trash call bird because it is all over the place ha.
They are quite large birds as well, always exciting to see a new one for me. 🙂
I loved this post! It was in Virginia where I saw the Indigo Bunting the first time! A beautiful bird, indeed.
They are amazing to see. Thank you Marland.
You’re in welcome!
Beautiful birds!
Great photography 😍
Thank you very much 😊
The Indigo Bunting sure is pretty with its colors. I have heard of a Bobolink but never have seen a photo of one … he/she sure has a short tail!
Yes, and the bobolink was quite large as well. Like the size of a pigeon I guess.
I was surprised when I saw the size of it in your picture you took.
Wonderful!
Thank you very much 😊
I would go totally fan girl over seeing an indigo bunting! Never have seen a bobolink before either. Your photos are outstanding, Sandra!
Thank you very much Kellye. It is quite the sight to see a bird all blue like that in the wild.
We get indigo buntings up in SW Ontario – at least along the river. I saw my first Bobolink last year, and noticed one again this year. Nice spotting.
That is pretty cool you see the indigo up there. I really thought they were in the south only. I had read that people travel down there just to spot the indigo and the painted bunting. I never did see the painted. It was such a surprise to see them everywhere on the way north.
They are so striking. No painted buntings though – saw those in Arizona or Mexico.
This bird is a real athlete ! Increadible how birds can navigate from their own with stars and magnetic feeld, How does that fit in their small brains. We need extra insturments to do so…
Yes, I did some research on their migration this year and it is so amazing that they travel mostly at night and they know when to go and what wind is right to help them. Just amazing.
In the days of the old southern rice plantations the Bobolink was considered vermin. Passing by during migration they could could decimate a plantations crop. Lookouts were kept and all the enslaved people would be called to chase or destroy the birds when they landed. Once plentiful here I think I may have seen one. Out in the old rice fields in the delta the black birds now eat the remaining rice.
Very interesting, I did not know that. I saw just the one and it was actually a pretty good size bird.
They’re beautiful birds, and a great shot.
💙💙💙🐦💙💙💙🙏
Thank you very much Francine 😊
So interesting how they navigate!
Yes, I was so surprised to see them so far north. 🙂
Wow, nice sighting! We get the indigo bunting in Ontario every spring, it is such a beautiful bird!
What a beautiful blue aqua in the immature Bunting, a great capture Sandra.
Thank you, it is such a beautiful color 🙂
💙🐦🐦🐦
Thank you very much 🙂