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Thursday, February 8, 2024

Bluebirds brighten the day

When I started birding as a kid in New Jersey in the 1940's, Eastern Bluebirds were generally absent from the northeastern US during the winter, although some did persist all year in coastal areas. They have since expanded their year-round range northward and inland, to include southern New England. The provision of artificial nest boxes as well as other factors such as climate change and feeders probably played a role. Indeed, bluebirds may make use of bird houses during cold weather.

I was rather surprised to see a flock of over a dozen bluebirds descend on our small holly bushes to glean the berries left over by the robins. They also inspected our back yard bird houses. Possibly, some may have been raised in one of them:


Some lingered by the feeders:


This female bluebird foraged under the feeder in the shadow of the picket fence:

She looked up, hoping that the Red-bellied Woodpecker might drop some more suet crumbs:

A Black-capped Chickadee perched nearby:

A European Starling made a brief appearance:

A Song Sparrow searched for scattered seeds:


A White-tailed Doe looked out from behind the shrubs in the side yard:

Warm rain melted all the snow, and this week we got to take our first walk along the lake in over a month. The ice was starting to break up, and the weather forecast was for cold but clear skies:


To our surprise, light snow fell that evening, but melted in the morning under bright sun:

There was a colorful sunset on February 4:

View from the porthole window:

This week's header: Sunset February 4


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Linking to:



Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday)

Wild Bird Wednesday

My Corner of the World
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Please visit the links to all these posts to see some excellent photos on display
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22 comments:

  1. Originally from NJ, I have never seen that variety of bluebird with the red markings. Beautiful photos of all the birds and nature. Thanks.

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  2. The sunset shots are really spectacular, and it's lovely to see the variety of birds that show up near you. I can usually only get birdsong, and most of that I only "hear" through my Merlin app. I'm always happy to see what you find to photograph. Kind of like candy to a dieter, though!

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  3. Lovely birds and a gorgeous sky captured! Wow!

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  4. I am always delighted to see Blue Birds. Lovely photos. Your sunset photos are glorious.

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  5. Beautiful birds, I like their red and blue colours.

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  6. Hello Ken,
    it's amazing that your climate is so similar to ours. And we were also able to observe a gigantic sunset last week. Only our bird world cannot keep up with yours when it comes to the splendor of colors. I am always amazed by your wonderful bird photos.
    Kind regards and thanks for the link to Nature Thursday.
    Elke

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  7. Don't get me wrong I'm a big big fan of your bird photos, but wow that sky photo is jawdroppingly incredible.

    Worth a Thousand Words

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  8. I love Bluebirds...they are some of my favorite birds. This is not the link for today's Critters post. I think you could add a second one though. Hugs, Diane

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  9. Another very colorful post from the Northeast!

    Bluebirds in the snow. Trying to wrap my Florida head around that concept.

    Gearing up for spring migration around here. Lots of "grouping up" going on. We'll try to send your flocks north in good health. Thanks for the loan.

    Hope all is well for you today, Ken.

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  10. Great photos, especially the sunset. I've been jealous of your bluebird sightings and I have been assuming that we don't have bluebirds in Oklahoma but I googled it and Cornell says that all of Oklahoma, except the panhandle, is year round blue bird habitat. So not seeing any falls on me.

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  11. Hello Ken,
    Wow those bluebirds would make my day. They seem to be here occasionally , my favorite all time bird. Your sunset and bird images are beautiful. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, enjoy your day and the new week ahead. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.

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  12. I like the bluebirds, they come here, Katy Texas, near Houton, in the spring and fall during their migration trip north or back south. They don't stay long, most of them. I haven't seen any this fall and winter. Some of the ducks have stayed here, around the small ponds with our Macoveky Ducks who stay year round. Even the doves and mocking birds have left this year.
    ..
    ..

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  13. The dotty starling is gorgeous. i love you've been doing this since you were a kid. How wonderful to have a lifelong hobby! #Naturesnotes

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    1. And the view from the portrait window is stunning - thanks for sharing with #Allseasons

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  14. Oh they would brighten my day too. Thank you for linking the tagged monarch post for me. That would really be something to see. I only saw 2 in my garden last year...Michelle

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  15. Bluebirds are most beautiful! Wish they would come here too.

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  16. Another set of amazing photos good mix too :-)

    Have a bluebirdtastic week 👍

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  17. Birds are nature's jewels. I even enjoy the chatter of sparrows in urban areas. Life would be boring without them.

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  18. Beautiful photos!
    Thank you for sharing at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2024/02/le-hostellerie-des-trois-pigeons.html

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