Wow, Now I Know Why It's Called A "Blue Bird" -- April 3, 2022

What an incredible treat yesterday.

While biking past the Colleyville Heritage High School yesterday, late afternoon, I spotted a pair of eastern bluebirds, Sialia sialis. Initially perched in an almost-leafless tree, they took flight and appeared to be absolutely bright blue. In flight they appeared to be entirely blue. A real blue bird. One perched momentarily and the red breast was clearly seen. Incredibly beautiful. Very small, bigger than a finch, of course, but almost seemed like a flinch in flight.

I doubt I can tell a western bluebird apart from an eastern bluebird so I am going by the geographic range as provided by "Audubon."

When I visited North Dakota during the Bakken boom, my brother and I would hike in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, the north unit. He would always point out the nesting western bluebirds -- one pair -- that returned to the very same spot every year. It's possible they, too, were eastern bluebirds -- I've long forgotten, but the mountain bluebird is easy to tell apart from the other two. If I find my bird diary, maybe I will have recorded those sightings. I doubt I knew the existence of three species of bluebirds at that time. Maybe. We'll see. If I can find the diary.

From "Audubon":