Crops & Clips: Bluebirds

My weekly potpourri gathered from the archives features bluebirds and more bluebirds! This time I am sharing it on Birding is Fun as well as attempting to tie together several interesting memes, about critters, fences, skyscapes and reflections, all of which I hope you will visit.

CRITTER: Guess?

North American bluebirds come in three "flavors." Each one is a sweet as the others

Western Bluebird digiscoped in our front yard, Cedar Crest, New Mexico in November, 2003 



Note the all-blue head and throat of the Western Bluebird, in Grand Canyon, Arizona, June 17, 2013



The Mountain Bluebird is an unforgettable shade of blue, seen at YMCA of the Rockies, Estes Park, Colorado on June 17, 2010



Mountain Bluebird, Estes Park, Colorado on June 14, 2010



The third species of bluebird ranges in the eastern US and is appropriately known as the Eastern Bluebird, this one photographed in Batavia, Illinois on April 19, 2010


"Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny" may be a discredited theory, but the spotted breast of a fledgling Western Bluebird bears evidence of its relationship to other members of the thrush family, in Grand Canyon, Arizona, June 19, 2013



This particular Eastern Bluebird has a story to tell, aside from the fact that she is bringing dinner to a fledgling hidden in the bushes under this wire, in Saint Charles, Illinois, June 22, 2012.



Although she symbolizes the bluebird of happiness and the freedom of flight, her perch overlooks a fence that is particularly good or bad, depending upon whether you are looking in or out. Those inside can only dream of flight. 

The Illinois Youth Center is a medium security correctional facility. On the "good" side is the beautiful Hickory Knolls Discovery Center, a nature center and preserve full of old growth hardwoods.



Mountain Bluebird, female on a "Good Fence," Buffalo Lake NWR, Canyon, Texas on November 12, 2008



Linking to CAMERA CRITTERS,

Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,

and 

GOOD FENCES by Tex (Theresa). 

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SKYWATCH: Blue on blue

I just realized that all my bluebirds enjoyed blue skies with nary a cloud, so forgive me for showing such a boring sky.

Mountain Bluebirds in Canyon, Texas, November 12, 2008



Eastern Bluebird male, Nelson Lake, Batavia Illinois October 1, 2014

Linking to SKYWATCH FRIDAY 

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REFLECTIONS: Poor

In adherence to our theme, I tried to find some bluebird reflections in my archives. The running water of our backyard fountain in New Mexico distorted them, but also produced some of my favorite bluebird photos.

Like the first picture on this post, they were taken from inside the windows of our home with a tiny Canon PowerShot A-40 with a 2 MP sensor (yes, you have that right, only TWO megapixels!) shooting at 3x optical zoom through the eyepiece of a Kowa 70mm scope zoomed down to 20x. Note that this technique causes natural vignetting of the edges of the photos. See my primitive digiscoping rig at this link.

Western Bluebirds, Cedar Crest, New Mexico, February, 2003

Linking to WEEKEND REFLECTIONS