It has been said that when God made the bluebird he wished to display attributes of both the sky and the earth, so he gave the bluebird the color of the one on his back and just a hint of the other on his breast.
The bluebird has been known over the years as the peace-harbinger. In him the celestial and terrestrial converge. But the bluebird brings more balance than that he is all that is soft, all that is color and light, and he brings with him the promise of spring in one appearance and the retreating of warm weather on the other.
Bluebirds on Ebay:
Results from Amazon:
|
Brome 1024 Squirrel Buster Plus Wild Bird Feeder with Cardinal Perch Ring
Squirrel proof bird feeder. Fill with favorite wild bird food and hang – product is adjustable to prevent large birds from feeding. Dismantles for easy cleaning. Stainless Steel- Aluminum- Polycarbonate Resins…. |
|
Sesame Street Big Dot Self-Stick Room Appliques
These cool Sesame Street Appliqués are sure to add style to your child’s room! Appliqués are easy to apply and reapply. These self-adhesive, precut, repositionable and removable, appliqués leave no residue…. |
If the bluebird is migratory in your region you’re likely to first spot this gorgeous splash of color on a bright March or April morning. Listening closely you’ll hear him nearby almost as a whisper, so tender and so prophetic, a hope tinged with a regret.
John Barrows said that the bluebird seemed to sing “Bermuda! Bermuda! Bermuda!” but this bird has origins not quite so south. Likely he came from Florida, the Carolinas, or Virginia.
In New England the sap starts running from the sugar maple about the time the bluebird arrives. If you’ve been wondering why I’ve only spoken of the male so far it is because the the males arrive several days before the females. By the time both arrive, they waste no time pairing and prospecting for a place to nest.
The lady bluebird comes with the sparrows, the robins, the phoebe-bird but there’s no mistaking the brilliant blue hue of the first harbingers of spring amidst the brown and gray birds.
The eastern bluebird is slightly larger than the robin. The bluebird has been nicknamed a blue robin, and the red tint on his breast is similar to the red robin, and the mannerisms and habits of the two species are also similar.
There are at least three species of the common bluebird – in New England and it’s neighbours you’ll find the blue jay and the indigo-bird, as well as the eastern bluebird. The indigo bird is the most colorful of them all. I’d be remiss to forget the blue grosbeak, not much behind the indigo in intensity of color.
Now if you live closer to the west coast of the USA or Canada, you’ll still get your own blue birds, albeit the Moutain bluebird. The mountain bluebird is a little different in voice and color.
The Western or Mountain bluebird is considered an altogether distinct species, perhaps a little more brilliant and showy than its Eastern brother; and some fanciers would state that the Mountain bluebird’s voice is more varied, sweeter, and softer. The coloration is more of a dark teal, but the easiest way to tell them apart other than location, is the shoulder of chestnut-red. (If you live even more northern than the region of the Mountain bluebird, you’ll likely find the Arctic bluebird. This bluebird has a a greenish blue on it’s chest, the wings are longer and more pointed.
Bluebird Nesting Habits
The bluebird usually builds its nest in a hole in a stump or stub, or in an old cavity excavated by a woodpecker, but its first impulse seems to be to start in the world in much more style, and the happy pair make a great show of house-hunting about farm buildings, or specifically manufactured bluebird nesting boxes set out by farmer’s wives or avid birders. When no suitable accomodations can be found however, most settle upon the old family stumps and knotholes in remote fields, and go to work in earnest.
Here so close to the ground the bluebird nesters have to worry about two primary predators – snakes and squirrels.
With bluebirds the male is useful as well as ornamental. He is the joyful companion of the female at all times, and when she nests, he feeds her regularly. But it is the female who does most of the work and nesting selection. The male bluebird does accompany her in her work, even seems to cheer her on while she brings in all the material and does all the work of building. The female bluebird enters the nest with her building material, places it, withdraws and waits outside while he goes in and looks it over. On coming out he sings to her, “Bravo!” and away the two go once more for more material.
Filed in: Bird Specific, Wild Birds