Egon, I read your response and am thinking: it was a LONG winter up there in your parts this year, wasn't it? [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]
Egon, I read your response and am thinking: it was a LONG winter up there in your parts this year, wasn't it? [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]
Egon, I am familiar with the concept of birds getting blown to unexpected areas by storms and other such reasons. In using the web sites offered to me here I did not narrow the search parameters to only my geographic area. Still no luck, yet.
I compared mental notes with my wife just to be sure I hadn't been demonstarting some "EYE WITNESS ERROR" phenomenon. She tracked with me regarding her independent sightings.
Slim small bird larger than an American goldfinch or a house finch but smaller than a cardinal or even a tufted titmouse. Brilliant blue on the back (especially with a good sun angle) and a full underside of red-orange. No large areas of the bird are any other colors like the eastern blubird, barn swallow or any of the other "suggestions" so far as was visible in our sightings.
[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
And now it's a long cold spring! [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] Our "Rain Showers" for today are in the form of hoizontal rain pellets and wind howling in the eves. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
But we be hardy folk of good yoeman stock and will survive! [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
Egon
Egon, You may even do as well as those of good yeoman stock.
[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
Could it be an Indigo Bunting Pat? We had one at our feeder the other day but it flew before I could get a picture. Very deep, irridescent blue in color. I don't recall the underside but I thought it was blue as well.
We have bluebirds too. They do have the rusty colored underside but not nearly as vibrant a blue as the bunting.
HTH
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Rob
Here's a pic of an Eastern Bluebird that dropped by our feeder this evening. I saw an Indigo Bunting but he wouldn't cooperate for my camera. No rust color on the bunting for sure.
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Rob
Rob, I'm 'fraid not. The Indigo Bunting is a beautiful bird but you are right about the blue underneath (male bird, female is brown.) The X-Bird is bright red-orange underneath, not red like a red headed woodpecker but really bright red with some orange cast to it.
[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
Pat, any chances it might have been a disoriented (read "lost" Western Bluebird???
Ian M.
Transferred to Nova Scotia, retired at the end of June 2009!!! And bought a tractor!!!
I did finally get the Indigo Bunting, attached.
Could the elusive x-bird be a barn swallow? Northern Parula (a warbler), Blue Grosbeak, Lazuli Bunting (western version of Indigo), Painted Bunting, or ??? I just went through my bird book and that's all I could come up with [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
Rob
It could be a mud swallow, bit I am not sure how much they eat seed, ususally getting bugs on the wing. It is bright blue on the back with orange breast here in NJ