That is too cool! The only time I have ever seen one was way out in the country - on a side road off to the side of side road - on my school bus route.
Beautiful bird!
How lucky you are.

When I read this thread I went on-line and looked up Indigo Bunting. They are the most beautiful birds. Then I listened to it's call and boy that sounded familiar. Yeppers, we have some Indigo Bunting down in our scrub timber. Just the other day one came up by the house, he was just incredible! I hope this means that they are spreading in population!

Diann
IA z5a

Had a huge spotted owl fly over me yesterday while on the lake at Loud Thunder Forest preserve in Andalusia, Illinois.

So far in the city at my birdfeeder I've had the usual: lots of sparrows, grackels, a few cardinals, my daily frequenting Blue Jays;...but a few weeks back I had two more unusual visitors: (1) White-Breasted Nuthatch and (2) Red-Bellied Woodpecker.

The nuthatch was awesome. I was sitting watching the feeder when I saw this little bluish bird running DOWN the trunk of my tree and it kept doing that. At the time I didn't know what it was. Then I learned. He/She was funny. Loved it!

dax

I have a pair of Indigo Buntings nesting on my property, and they are SO gorgeous! This is the first time I've had them in the 15 years I've been here, although I've often seen them in some timber just north of me, so they probably are spreading. They might also be here because so many other birds have succumbed to West Nile Virus--my goldfinch population has gone from several dozen to 2 pairs this year. There are almost no owls or crows left in my area this year, either (near IC). Has anyone else noticed a population drop in their area?

We haven't had any lack of birds this spring. We had a flock of gold finches in the hosta gardens. Must have counted 20 of them. There has been Blue Jays, Crows, Robins, Wrens, Orioles, Hawks, a Hummer and heard a couple Owls hooting.... I like birds, but I don't try to encourage them into the yard because I have cats.

Diann
IA Z5a

I can't keep the feeder full enough for the finches(red and yellow). Also have had Indigo Bunting and the newest bird for us is a Cedar Waxwing. Beautiful!

My neighbor has an Indigo Bunting nest in her raspberries. She's very excited as one of the eggs has hatched. She removed a Brown Cowbird egg from the nest before any of the eggs hatched.

We had an male indigo bunting that visited us every morning and every evening beginning around the end of June and continued until the middle of July. Now I have not seen him for a couple of weeks - is this normal behavior or should I be concerned? I really miss looking out and seeing him there....it was a beautiful way to start AND end each day.

I have an indigo bunting that takes a bath in my stream every once in a while. I have a fish pond with a little stream that runs into it. I get all kinds of birds that like to bathe in the stream.
Linda

My husband found where our Indigo Bunting is nesting. It's out in an Mulberry tree out in the back gardens. ;) I was mowing the pony pasture the other night and it was following me around giving me the devil. ;) Then the swallows came out to harvest the bugs I was kicking up and the IB evidently settled down and went back to it's nest. They really are beautiful birds.

Diann
IA z5a

For the first time ever I had an indigo bunting at my feeders in June, then it disappeared....assuming it went north further. But I'm hoping it will stop again on its' way back south because the hummers are back now. Oh, I hate to see then leave for the winter. But I can always watch for them in the spring and hope it finds my feeders again. I did get a picture of it. Beautiful things!!!

I love bird-watching and Indigo Buntings are such a joy to see! We've been watching and photographing the hummingbirds here.

Ginni