This is the first photo I upload to the site. Thanks to Sue and Ahmed that I met at Long Point this spring to let me know about this! Finally I get to put something on and of course I shall begin with Long Point! This male Indigo Bunting was the first of the season and lingered around the bird feeder for a couple of days!
Not a whole lot of photos of this species on Birdviewing. Not sure why. Here is a tired male foraging on the ground suring migration on a wet morning at Long Point, Ontario.
My 400th species actually turns out to be a nest photo of the Indigo Bunting. Seen at Otis Lake Bird Sanctuary, Barry County, Michigan. Taking nest photos requires very careful precautions: it's important not to disturb the surroundings which could lead the bird to abandon the nest. Also, I spent less than 10 seconds taking this photo and then immediately left the area to allow the bird to return. These particular birds were very lucky not to have the nest touched by a passing lawn tractor, which cut the grass on the side of the road and nearly exposed the nest.