Back From South America?

May 18, 2025

This morning I saw the season’s first Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea). They spend the winter months somewhere between southern Florida and northern South America. No telling where this guy has been. Even spending the winter in southern Florida means he was very far from here.

They find their way over those incredible distances by using the movement of stars, specifically the North Star, and constellations like Ursa Major and Cassiopeia.

Pretty impressive.

_______________________

If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!

Published by

Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.