Thursday, February 14, 2019

Review of Bluebird Facts and Photography

Bluebirds resting in a planter photo by mbgphoto

I have long been a fan of Bluebirds but until this year I have not been able to  capture any photographs that I really liked.  During a very cold spell in January a group of Bluebirds visited our backyard and I was able to capture some nice photos.  I had a camera set up on a tripod in front of our glass doors and I snapped away as the Bluebirds checked out our feeding spots.  For those interested I am using a Sony A57 with a Tamron150-600 lens.  My camera is set to A (aperture mode) and I'm using a 6.5 aperture in most of these photos.



Eastern Bluebird Identification

These birds are small thrush type birds with a round head and big belly.

Male Bluebirds

The male Bluebirds are particularly bright in color as you can see in the photo above.  They have a bright blue colored head and back along with their tail feathers.  Their throat and chest are a bright rusty color.

Female Bluebirds

Female Eastern Bluebird photo by mbgphotoFemale Bluebird

The female bluebirds have the same color pattern as the males and they are a similar size, however their coloring is much more subdued.  Their head appears an almost grayish color as you can see in the photo above.

Juvenile Bluebirds

The juvenile Bluebirds have spotting on their backs and chests and some blue
beginning in their wings and chests.

Feeding Behavior and Diet

Eastern Bluebirds on a feeder photo by mbgphoto

From spring to early fall the Bluebirds diets consist of mainly insects.  In the winter they rely mainly on fruits.  As you can see in the photo above they will also resort to seeds in the winter.

I have found that if I do not clean out my flower containers after blooming season the Bluebirds and other birds like to rummage through the dead plants.
Eastern Bluebird photo by mbgphoto


Nesting

Although Bluebirds will use a nest box they also like holes in old trees, particularly old woodpecker nests.  They fill their nests with grass and other plant material.  A Bluebird usually lays 4-5 eggs and they are inculpated by the female for 11-19 days.  The fledgling birds leave the nest in about 19 days.

References

I gathered my information from several online sources as well as from my book Backyard Guide to the Birds.  Here are my references.
  • allaboutbirds.org/guide
  • Audubon.org
  • wild-bird-watching.com





Zazzle Products from my Photos





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4 comments:

  1. The Eastern Bluebird is one of my favorites! I won't see ours for a few more weeks yet, but I always look forward to seeing them move back in. As always, your photos are magnificent Mary Beth. I love your bluebird poster. Very, very beautiful indeed.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I particularly love the Bluebird coffee cup. Such an outstanding photograph. Wonderful pictorial review of your visiting bluebirds, Mary Beth.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I know so little about birds. Your summaries of each helped me to learn a bit. I have a friend who is an avid bird lover. Actually her husband photographs them all the time. He's so educated on them. They're both so interested in birds. I'm finally becoming curious about birds (from a distance). Things that fly to close to me freak me out, but watching birds in my backyard now, I'm starting to ask what kind they are. We have this large blue jay that I see flying around a lot, but I have no idea if it's more than one bird or if it's the same one. Your photos are beautiful by the way, and that male bluebird is beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Those are gorgeous photos of these colorful birds. My favorite is the top photograph. Thank you for telling me more about the lives of bluebirds.

    ReplyDelete

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