Look what the storm blew in

It was the kind of storm that makes you stand by the picture window and gape at the swaying trees and then back away from the window and wonder whether it's time to take shelter in the basement. I know that many places east of us suffered severe damage so I'm not complaining; here, the storm merely blew down a few tree limbs down by the creek, stripped every blossom off our dogwood tree, made the creek rise from zero to flood stage in about 30 minutes, disassembled a hummingbird feeder, plastered the roof with stray leaves and sticks, and made all our phones first ring incessantly and then fall silent. (Still no phone service at home. They'll be fixed "soon," whatever that means.)

But the day after the storm something unusual happened: a juvenile indigo bunting started hanging around our birdfeeders. We frequently see indigo buntings in our upper meadow and in trees on the edge of the woods, but in 14 years I've never seen an indigo bunting visiting our feeders. And this one kept coming back all day long and well into the evening--and there it is again even as I write this. (At least I assume it's the same one. It certainly looks the same.) Did the storm somehow disrupt this young bird's feeding patterns? 

It's a wary bird: the bunting flies away every time I step outside with the camera, so I finally took a shot right through the picture window just to prove to myself that I wasn't hallucinating.

This morning on my walk I saw further evidence of the storm's disruptions: tree limbs down, debris left behind by the creek, utility trucks scrambling to make repairs. We're fortunate to have suffered so little damage--and if the storm is responsible for our unexpected visitor at the feeder, then I owe it a debt of gratitude. (I'd call up the storm to say thanks if only my phones were working.)