Winter Blues

As in blue sky (for a change) and Bluebirds (that shouldn’t be here at this time of year) on a sunny day with an unseasonably high temperature hovering near freezing (30 F). For a change of pace I went walking on the local golf course, curious to see whether I could find the reputed Mountain Bluebird that has taken up residence here along with aforementioned Eastern Bluebirds.

But I found only the eastern cousins, near two Bluebird boxes, which the birds were sitting on and inside of during the middle of the day.

A small flock of about 6 male Eastern Bluebirds flitted between the nest boxes and the shrubby woods on one side of a cross-country ski trail. Periodically, they dipped into the boxes or peered into the hole. I suppose they might take communal refuge from really cold weather in these boxes, but I was surprised to find them doing this on such an unseasonably warm(?) day.

Although Eastern Bluebirds breed here in the summer, they usually retreat south in the winter to places that have less snow cover and milder temperatures where they feed on a wide variety of shrub and tree berries and mealworms provided by friendly birdwatchers. What a treat to see their cheerful bright blue and rusty brown colors on a landscape that is mostly white, gray, and brown this time of year.

The landscape at the Como Park golf course is mostly white on white, with only an occasional tree to break up the monotony. But cross-country skiers love the rolling hills and groomed trails here. And bubblers keep one pond unfrozen so birds can find fresh water when they need it.

Two males, perhaps different in age or fitness, as the amount of blue on the head and back indicates maturity and signals health and vitality of the individual.

Good luck, little Bluebird. You are about to face a week of single digit and subzero temperatures — I hope you’re prepared for that.

Bluebirds by the dozen

On a recent sunny day, a flock of Eastern Bluebirds chased each other in and out of what I presume were roosting holes in a dead tree. At times they behaved like woodpeckers, scaling the snag vertically, but there were obviously no hidden insects in a snag this old and rotten.  When they tired of this game, they settled down to some intensive foraging, searching the vegetation for the flies and bees that were pollinating the flowers.

Yellow-rumped Warblers (left) seemed to follow the Bluebirds around as they chased insects from high or low perches.  Maybe the warblers caught the insects the Bluebirds missed.

They probed into every nook and cranny looking for hidden prey.  This bird stared at the mushroom on the rotten log for some time, before deciding it had nothing to offer.

When I stood quietly (for many minutes), Bluebirds would come within 15-20 feet and pose for my camera.

A mottled background of drying prairie grasses was the perfect contrast for this bird’s bright blue and russet colors.  I’ll miss these cheerful little birds when they fly south.

Meeting in the middle

The Great Plains states are a meeting ground of eastern and western-occurring bird species. Breeding activity was in full swing in the South Dakota Black Hills this past week, with birds dashing around, fighting, singing, and completely uncooperative as far as photography was concerned.

Bullocks Oriole are the western counterpart of the eastern Baltimore Oriole, but look quite different, with their black eyestripe (instead of an all black head).

The white on the wing is more of a large patch than a wing bar (as it is in the Baltimore Oriole.

The Baltimore Oriole occurs in South Dakota, but doesn’t seem to breed in the Black Hills, which is the eastern limit of breeding range for Bullock’s Oriole.

These two species do occasionally overlap in breeding areas and can make mistakes and pair with the wrong species, which is why ornithologists once lumped them as one species, the Northern Oriole.  However, DNA comparisons of the two species show that they don’t even share a recent common ancestor.

Western Kingbirds are similar in size and habits (flycatching from a perch) to their eastern counterparts, the Eastern Kingbirds.

Both eastern and western kingbirds hunt for insects in the open prairie, but nest in the protection of shrubs and trees.

With completely overlapping ranges and similar foraging strategies throughout the Dakota prairie, Western and Eastern Kingbirds would seem to be in direct competition with one another, but apparently avoid it with minor differences in their specific habitat preferences for nesting and hunting.  Western Kingbirds were very common in towns, parks, and camping areas where there were very large, widely dispersed cottonwood trees, which they prefer for nesting.  Eastern Kingbirds were only seen in lower vegetation (shrubs) near the prairie edge.

We saw Mountain Bluebirds as we were driving along in the Black Hills, but not close enough to photograph.

Photo from Wikimedia Commons by Elaine Wilson.

Eastern Bluebirds may also breed in parts of the Great Plains states, although they are rare in the Black Hills. Mountain Bluebirds prefer higher elevations (e.g, in the Black Hills), while Eastern Bluebirds are more common in the river valleys on the prairie itself.  These two species probably don’t interact, being completely separated in habitat choice.

South Dakota, with its varied landscapes — desert, mountain, and prairie — is a great place for birding!

So photogenic

This has to be one of the most endearing little birds we see in Minnesota.

I found them this year in exactly the same place (same trees) I first saw them last year, and within a week of the same time of year.

Some were hunting for berries in the bushes.  Some were hawking for insects from a perch. Their little social group flitted around me and over me, chirping away like they were gossiping about me pointing some big old black tube of a lens at them.

Eastern Bluebirds are definitely one of my favorite photo subjects.  Like their larger cousins, the Robins, Bluebirds eat a mixed diet of insects and fruit in the winter.  Availability of food determines whether Bluebirds stay in an area year-round, and Minnesota doesn’t offer much in the way of insects during the winter.  Further south Bluebirds might feast on berries of dogwood, sumac, hawthorn, virginia creeper, and wild grape, even blackberries, poke berries, or honeysuckle to supplement their insect diet.

I have Bluebird boxes in my backyard (which the House Wrens love), but have never seen a Bluebird there.  Maybe I need to plant some of these fruit-bearing bushes and trees.