It’s been a weather roller coaster here in lower Michigan. We’ve had record breaking cold, with temperatures well below zero (-17.77 C) and lots of blowing snow. Then this week we had one glorious warm day with temps topping 50 (10 C) followed the next day by plummeting temperatures and more snow.
Crazy, but not unusual.
During one of the cold days, in between snow showers, Katie and I ventured out for a walk up the road. I was attempting to get her to hurry up while she looked for pee-mail from all her doggy friends when I heard a chirping from a tall spruce tree nearby. It didn’t sound familiar, so I searched the tree, trying to see what was making the noise.
Much to my amazement a pair of birds shot out of the tree, chased each other over my head, and then disappeared across the street. I wasn’t even sure what I had seen, but they sure looked like bluebirds. I’d heard that sometimes bluebirds overwintered around here, but I’d never seen proof before.
Hmmmm….interesting. But maybe just a fluke. Or maybe I didn’t really see bluebirds at all.
Yesterday afternoon husband glanced out the kitchen window and exclaimed “bluebirds!!” Out on our heated birdbath were two of them, all puffed up against the cold, taking their time while sipping their beverage of choice.
By the time I got the camera there was just one, and I had a dirty window and a screen between me and a clear shot. Still. How could I resist? I only had one shutter click before he flew away, and it was very very underexposed against the brightness of the snow. The original image is just about black.
I call this my impressionistic bluebird.
Today we have sunshine, though it’s still very cold. Katie and I were looking out the back window, debating whether to go out and play in the snow when I saw a chunky bird fly toward the house. It swooped in toward the deck, but I couldn’t see where he landed because the blinds were down on that side of the room. Darn! It looked like a very fat bluebird!
I crept around the corner of the room to a door with open blinds. There were three bluebirds sitting on the heated birdbath! Again I had to shoot through the dirty glass and a screen door. And the light was a problem too.
Still, what joy to see bluebirds on this cold winter day!
I sat and watched them drink and chatter to each other for a long time. And then they flew off — looking for lunch I suppose.
I guess I’m going to have to figure out what they eat and make sure I have some of that here for them, since obviously they plan on sticking around for awhile at our hot springs bird spa extraordinaire.
May a bluebird of happiness fly into your world this winter weekend, and may you be lucky enough to notice!
January 14, 2018 at 12:27 pm
You caught that bird mid-flight! I love when birds are all puffed up–they look so darn cute.
LikeLike
January 14, 2018 at 1:05 pm
I know! I was so excited I didn’t even care that it’s not a crisp shot!
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 14, 2018 at 12:58 pm
Wow! They eat insects and like mealworms. I bought some dried mealworms last year but could never entice the bluebirds to the feeders. Your pictures are great, despite windows and screens.
LikeLike
January 14, 2018 at 1:06 pm
Bruce found that they also like soft suet…so we’re going to try to find them that too.
LikeLike
January 14, 2018 at 3:45 pm
Waiting to see whether they will eat the suet. I hope so. Otherwise you might have to have heated mealworms for them.
LikeLike
January 14, 2018 at 4:59 pm
I hope so , first I have to find it. It was called something like spreadable suet.. But heated mealworms sounds pretty good too.
LikeLike
January 15, 2018 at 2:55 pm
Marilyn….how do you heat mealworms? Can I do it in the microwave? I have purchased dried mealworms.
LikeLike
January 14, 2018 at 3:47 pm
Aw, this is wonderful — and I love your heated bird spa! No wonder the bluebirds have found their way to it. Such welcome splashes of color when our world is overflowing with white.
LikeLike
January 14, 2018 at 4:59 pm
They were back twice today, no way to get really good photos of them so far. But you can imagine.
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 14, 2018 at 4:07 pm
A joy indeed. When we lived in Washington an Anna’s hummingbird wintered over. For weeks and weeks we wouldn’t see her, and then she would show up on what seemed to be the coldest days to the feeder we kept thawed with a heat lap. I would look out the kitchen window and see her and feel that joy.
Now we are in the desert and this morning a hummingbird (my spirit animal) buzzed me. Always a good sign. As our bluebirds at the spa.
LikeLike
January 14, 2018 at 5:01 pm
Love my hummingbirds too. I would worry if they stayed over in the winter though. This year the orioles sort of took over the feeders, they were so assertive. We finally moved the hummingbird feeder to another place so that they could eat in peace
LikeLike
January 14, 2018 at 4:42 pm
what a wonderful surprise! Th weather here in NJ is crazy too- 60 and rainy on Friday, now it’s 14. At least the rain and warmth melted all the snow! The birds must be confused
LikeLike
January 14, 2018 at 5:02 pm
I actually watched a goldfinch puff itself up a bit ago. Was really cool. I guess birds know how to adjust better than we do.
LikeLike
January 17, 2018 at 3:12 pm
Yes, and as a fellow New Jersey-ite I am tired of this weird weather. The birds must be confused, and so am I.
LikeLike
January 17, 2018 at 8:26 pm
Me too. Confused.
LikeLike
January 15, 2018 at 12:51 am
Wonderful! 🙂
LikeLike
January 15, 2018 at 8:28 am
I know!
LikeLike
January 15, 2018 at 1:12 pm
Nice job capturing some difficult subjects. Love the one in-flight best of all. We’ve had similar crazy weather as well over the last couple of weeks but probably not as much snow as your neck of the world. 😊
LikeLike
January 15, 2018 at 2:56 pm
I love that in-flight one best too. Didn’t know I’d gotten it until I uploaded the photos. Wish I had not had to shoot through a window and a screen door.
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 16, 2018 at 7:08 am
I know the feeling! You should feel good that you did the best you could with the situation you had at the time and the result was great.
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 15, 2018 at 10:53 pm
hi Dawn, these amazing photos remind me of my grandmother’s love of these birds. her farm in northeast Oregon had harsh winters and every spring she would wait and wait for the bluebirds to return. she had a special sized hole cut in her big machine building up by the rafters. no other bird could fit through the hole. every year a pair would return to her barn and raise their babies in the box my granddad had made for them.
i am so happy for you and your hubby in having them at your spa. and thank you for the photos and sharing your joy!
LikeLike
January 17, 2018 at 10:15 am
Hi Bess!
My grandmother and my mom also loved birds. That’s a nice story about your grandparents’ barn and the bluebird family. When we first moved here we had a pair of bluebirds that raised two sets of babies in our bluebird house. Since then they haven’t nested here, and I rarely see them here. So having them this past week has been really nice. I hope they’re happy to be at our spa!
LikeLike
January 16, 2018 at 6:45 pm
Very cool! I don’t think we get bluebirds here even in summer but I might be wrong I’m not much of a birdwatcher. I’d love to put out feeders but that would attract squirrels and I can’t afford to have Keltic bark any more than he already does. You know neighbors that complain.
LikeLike
January 17, 2018 at 10:18 am
I wonder….I’ll try to figure out where you live and look it up for you!
LikeLike
January 17, 2018 at 3:09 pm
The winners of our bird popularity contest are the Cardinals. Their bright red feathers cheer up the dreariest day with glorious mood-changing color. But they are not the nicest of birds. They boss everyone else around the bird feeder and force the smaller birds to leave until they have their fill of lunch!
LikeLike
January 17, 2018 at 8:27 pm
I like them too. We have several that lord over our flat feeder.
LikeLike
January 17, 2018 at 4:12 pm
I see them sometimes here. They do not often come to the feeders they prefer meal worms and I feed chicken scratch and black oiled sunflower seeds, then I have some suet feeders.
LikeLike
January 17, 2018 at 8:28 pm
I’ve put out dried meal worms but so far they’ve ignored those and are just drinking. They must be getting something to eat somewhere else. I do need to go buy some suet.
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 19, 2018 at 7:29 am
I do not think anything has been eating the suet x 2 I put out. I am feeding 1 1/2 gallons of seed a day because they are all so hungry.
LikeLike
January 17, 2018 at 7:52 pm
Bowsers, the bluebird isn’t fat, at least we aren’t going to say that.
Stay warm and safe.
Sherman, Gemini and Dog Dad
LikeLike
January 17, 2018 at 8:29 pm
Probably more politically correct to say something like “robust.” You guys stay warm and safe too!
LikeLike
January 23, 2018 at 9:26 pm
Our bluebirds returned early too. Seemed like everyone needed to stay in the Tropics a little longer this year.
LikeLike
January 23, 2018 at 9:44 pm
I’d just like to GO to the tropics. Cold here again. We had a few days of warm and we got all excited. Foolish us.
LikeLike