Birdie Surprise

While sharing the view of Birdie-TV with Ayla a few days ago while sritcinbg her on her windowsill, I noticed something odd.  At the goldfinch thistle-feeder, there was a bluish bird very likje te finches eating seeds.  There's a "blue finch"?

I tried to get a picture right away in case it was an "exotic" but it flew away too fast.  I had a pair of "exotics" once in a front yard tree.  I could only think of them as "small black egrets".  A few weeks later, I saw a 'Wild Bird Seed' store newsletter mentioning that a pair of "Enhingas" had been spotted in the area and it showed a picture.  That was them and they had spend time in MY yard!

The newsletter is a bookmark in my Peterson Guide.  They are tropical to semi-tropical.  Why they were here, no one knows.  There hadn't been a freak storm to pull them here.  Maryland is hardly even semi-tropical (though you wouldn't know that i most Julys and Augusts).

So I thought this might be something similar.  I considered flipping through my Peterson's Guide, but quite frankly, the internet is better.  I typed in "images of US blue birds"  It showed several and one was a direct match.  I have a male Indigo Bunting in my yard.  I've seen it at the feeder several times over a few days, so I hope it is staying here.  I hope there is a female and a nest.

Reading up on Indigo Buntings, I understand they are natural here and I am practically in the middle of their Summer range.  But I have never seen one before.  My guess is that my yard has slowly evolved into a place that attracts them.  They like wood edges and shrubs; insects and small seeds. 

Much of the backyard used to be wooded, but over the 33 years here, I have been changing it smaller specimen trees and shrubs.  I have planted a patch of meadow flowers and one for bee/butterfly/hummingbirds.   The yard is mostly organic (but I can't keep the poison ivy at bay with careful herbiciding).

So here's a free internet picture...


Wouldn't it be spectacular to see some male Indigo Buntings, Goldfinches, and a Cardinal in the same picture?

I've read there are Baltimore Orioles in my area too, but they stay high in trees and I've never seen one of those either.  That would be nice too.