From One Mother to Another
I don’t believe in coincidences. It cannot be just chance that so many of our best backyard bird sightings happen on or the day before Mother’s Day. I’m convinced that these rare appearances are a gift from one mother to another, namely from Mother Nature to Judy.
Take this year. On Saturday we were watching the many White-Crowned Sparrows feeding on the lawn (this time of year I spread millet on the grass back of the house). White-Crowned Sparrows are nice, they have those bright white stripes on their heads. Otherwise they are just your basic little brown bird.
They kind of remind me of how on the TV show Star Trek all the different kinds of aliens are distinguished mainly by their ears and foreheads. Otherwise they look pretty much like people. Isn’t that odd, seeing as how they come from different solar systems and everything?
Anyhow, there among the White-Crowned Sparrows, like the wild and crazy cousin at a family reunion, was an Indigo Bunting in his electric blue leisure suit (actually, it’s his mating plumage).
For us, seeing an Indigo Bunting is an exciting event. They are like little sapphires with wings. For some reason we see them only one day out of the year, and they always come on Mother’s Day or the day before. We’ve had some other special bird sightings on Mother’s Day – like the time two years ago when we saw a pair of Scarlet Tanagers. That was the only appearance those birds have ever made around our house.
So I’m convinced these avian sightings are a gift from one mother to another, from Mother Nature to Judy. Can you think of a better explanation? I didn’t think so.
In addition to the Indigo Bunting, Danny and Beckee came by in the afternoon to cook us a gourmet dinner – risotto, salad, and homemade mocha chocolate almond ice cream (they brought their ice cream maker with them). Not only that, but they hung around afterwards for a leisurely gabfest and to do the dishes. We also got a nice chatty call from our son David in St. Paul.
So I think I can say we had a happy Mother’s Day, and I hope all of you who are mothers had the same, with or without Indigo Buntings.
Wow! That Indigo bunting is an amazing colour.
Isn’t it? Though you know it has no blue pigment in its feathers – it’s brown pigment and the blue comes from the reflection of the sunlight.
Even more wow then.
What an amazing bird! And lovely that you got to spend time with your son and speak to the other – a happy mother’s day indeed.
Yes, it was a happy one. The best part was spending lots of time with the kids.
Gosh these are great birds for a garden especially. We have had Indigo buntings in the garden a few times over the years. I am always amazed when I look out and see one here. It sounds like you and Judy both enjoyed Mother’s Day. Nothing like having the children around. Great pictures by the way. Have a good week.
We never see it more than one day per year for some reason.
I’ve seen indigo buntings exactly twice, which was enough to make it perfectly understandable that you’d be excited to see them — let alone get photos. It sounds as though it would have been a lovely day even without the birds. But with them? Perfection.
It was a great day.
Your explanation is perfect. Those indigo buntings are indeed little jewels.
Yes, aren’t they?
We had one in our backyard the day before yesterday. What a treat!
I’ve never seen one. What a lovely gift!
It certainly felt that way!
What a special treat! I’ve never seen an Indigo Bunting. Thanks for sharing your excellent photos.
I think Indigo Bunting’s range is in the eastern two thirds of the country.
I saw my first indigo bunting last week. It’s a beautiful bird.
Glad mother’s day was a good one!
It certainly was!
Gorgeous birds! And great pictures 🙂
Thanks!
Gorgeous indigo buntings. Never seen those
I think they are only in the western hemisphere.
Several years ago my daughter gave me a wren house for Mothers Day. A male wren took immediate occupation once it was hung.
That’s a great Mother’s Day gift.
Hello from St. Paul, MN! Love the photos of the birds, especially the indigo bunting. I would love to see one sometime — since I am not familiar with birds and their habitats, I am not sure if I would see one in MN. I will definitely do a bit of research and find out, though! : )
I have a son in St. Paul, and a brother in Minneapolis. Here’s a link – it indicates they are in Minnesota during the summer, though it is almost at the northern end of their range. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Indigo_Bunting/overview
Beautiful Indigo Bunting birds..I haven’t seen them before… of course they would be showing their young ones to Judy… I’m sure our Magpies show off their offspring to us in spring. Glad you had a lovely day with your family..& now that you have a daughter-in-law as well! Happy belated Mother’s Day Judy..😀🌞
Yes, it was great having both Danny and Beckee visiting for the day.
That’s cool. I have never seen an indigo bunting.
I hadn’t either until a few years ago.
Happy Mother’s Day to Judy! What a fabulous treat to have a visit from the Indigo Bunting. That blue! We had a one-day stop-in from a Scarlet Tanager pair long at our former house—a sighting to treasure.
Scarlet Tanagers also have such vivid color!
I loved your post and seeing both of the birds. I’m very much a bird person but have never had the pleasure of seeing the indigo bunting. What about the millet in the back yard grass? Do the birds clean up all the seed, or does it grow into a jungle eventually? I’m interested in drawing more birds to my garden, and that sounds like an easy way to do it. What other birds would like millet? Is it red millet or white?
I’ve never had a problem with the millet sprouting. I use white millet. Sparrows are also pretty fond of millet.
Love all the family catch-ups. Oh, I couldn’t agree more, Judy is obviously a bird whisperer! How I love those birds…not at all envious! Go Judy!xxx
They do seem to show up on her special days!
Now that handsome fellow could compete with a Cardinal. 🙂 Glad you had such a nice Mothers’ Day.
Thanks. And of course, we see Cardinals every day, so the rarity of the indigo bunting makes it extra special.
An indigo bunting, how exciting! We saw a Nashville warbler in the back yard a few days ago. I love spring.
Now that is much an amazing coincidence! Or is it?? 🙂 We’ve never seen an indigo bunting around here – a truly wonderful gift.
They are truly stunning birds, the color is really unique and gorgeous.