B is for Bobcats and Buntings

We don't live in a particularly "woodsy" section of the Adirondacks, but we do have our fair share of interesting wildlife. We regularly see deer, raccoons, chipmunks, and all manner of birds. Turkeys are in almost constant view this time of year, parading around the fields and showing off their beautiful colors. We see red tailed hawks and other birds of prey, and even witness an occasional kill. We even had a pair of foxes visit us last summer - beautiful and a bit scary when our two cats were outside at the same time. We hear coyotes at night and the spring peepers can be deafening on these warm May nights.

But this past week, we were treated to two sights that are both rare in our neck of the woods and breathtaking. Within the space on one week we were privileged to see both a flock of Indigo Buntings and a lone Bobcat walking down our country road.

We had visiting relatives sitting on our deck last Saturday when one of them spied an interesting bird in our crab apple tree. "What is that blue bird?" asked my sister-in-law. We all looked and amazingly, it was an Indigo Bunting perched up in the top of our tree. We ran for the binoculars and everyone had a great look. If you've never seen one, and Indigo Bunting is the most amazingly blue bird you're ever likely to see. It is almost turquoise, a color so unexpected in nature that at first you can't believe you are looking at a real bird. They are not feeder birds, and prefer grains and berries, so you almost never see one close to the house. We've seen them occasionally in late summer, out in the corn field on the tassels of the ripening corn, but hardly ever other than those brief glimpses. This bird amazed us, as he stayed around for quite a while. But what amazed us even more was seeing the flock of 8 Indigo Buntings who had decided that the new section of freshly seeded lawn was a special treat. They stayed with us for the better part of the week - eating up as much of that new grass seed as they could. They were out there at all times of the day, and into the evening, and we reveled in seeing them so easily and so close up.

After the grass seed had been eaten (or had germinated - we hope), the flock took off. But we still see one around - so we are hoping he'll stay for a while. We see goldfinches, purple finches, Evening and Red Breasted Grosbeaks on a regular basis - all beautifully colored birds. But seeing those Buntings was a real treat, and one we'll always remember.

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