Finding one dead Indigo Bunting on the porch was strange enough. But the very next day we found another — in the exact same spot. Both male.

Premise for a Stephen King novel? Maybe not… read on.

The day two experience got even more interesting when we heard some chirping nearby. We rattled a chair and a bird flew out — female Bunting, the dead male’s partner, loyal to the end. So sad.

Confusing woodsy reflections for the real thing, birds slam head first into our windows all the time. Some recover, some don’t. Both of these Buntings clearly didn’t recover. But why this out-of-the-way window, under the low porch ceiling? And why two in a row?

Buntings are bashful birds. I’m always thrilled to spot one because I see so few. With mixed feelings I carried them off to yard’s edge, studying their gorgeous indigo-black feathers up close before tossing the shiny limp carcasses into the woods.

Bye bye Buntings.

And then, late afternoon on day two, mystery solved — spotted a male (very much alive) in the high grass just off the porch, plucking seeds from the puffy spikes. For some reason our local Buntings favor this small swath of grass. And sadly they see in this particular window’s reflection a shortcut back to the north woods.

We took a look ourselves, and sure enough, with the window opened to a certain angle, the route does look rather appealing. Too bad it’s just a reflection!

So now we’re keeping that window either closed tight or open all the way, thus changing the angle, frustrating that deadly illusion.

And so far, no more dead birds.