It is not entirely correct to say that Indigo Buntings really aren’t blue, though this is a favorite trivia fact imparted by naturalists. It is true that their color results from the refraction of sunlight off the micro structure of their feathers and that there are no blue pigments anywhere on this species. In the absence of light, therefore, these Buntings appear nearly black.

  But, considering that these creatures inhabit the sunny edges of woodlots and open brushy fields, there are very few times that you see them without their proper dose of lighting. Indigo Buntings are as true blue as the sky – just add sun to either and voila, you have blueness.

 These birds pull an especially incredible shade of sea blue out of the solar spectrum. Scientifically they called Passerina cyanea which means “true blue sparrow” in Latin. As the photo above shows, the male of the species deserves every bit of that name (see above). The females are brown -true brown- and slightly streaked.  They are the primary caregivers and have no need to be flashy.

  I came upon a pair of these buntings in brushy field the other day (as seen here -the female is on the upper left). They were especially nervous about my presence and were anxiously flitting about the perimeters of a thick cluster of blackberry vines in mid field. Everything about their demeanor indicated that they were protecting a well hidden nest within. The agitated parents were sounding off (indigo_sdr_0008wav) as they continually re-located from stem to stem.

  The couple chose their nest site well, however, and the thicket proved to be an impenetrable barrier for this particular intruder. Buntings build their structures fairly low to the ground and it would have taken a lucky angle to spot it.  I attempted to peer into the shadows, but gave up after a short while – out of respect for parental psyche. 

  This nesting situation was fairly late in the season – these birds normally start breeding in early May. Summer is now getting long in the tooth and the time to rear a successful brood before arrival of the migration season is getting slim.  No doubt this is a second brood for the couple.  It is possible that their brood was destroyed by a predator and they were able to get off one more attempt before the seasonal barn door closed for good.

  My fretting couple went silent as soon as I put some distance between them and me. At the far end of the field, another worry-free male bunting was in full singing mode and I was able to record him (indigo_sdr_0011wav). His distinctive bunting banter consisted of a lilting chorus of “sweet, sweet..chew, chew..sweet, sweet.”  

  Indigo Buntings generally stop talking by mid-August and gradually slip away to the southlands by September’s end. This call, then, could be considered as one of the season’s last. It is an ode to the sun with which they share kinship.