by Amy Gross
colorful characters
THERE ARE LOTS OF BLUE BIRDS in North America, but only three kinds of actual bluebirds. In Northern New Mexico we see the beautiful western bluebird, with its electric blue feathers and burnt orange breast, nearly all year round, while royal blue mountain bluebirds appear in flocks in meadows and scrubland in the spring and summer months, popping against the brownish scenery. (How to remember which is which: Think “western sunsets are orange.” Western bluebirds also have orange.) Both species have a pointy black beak and a distinctive white eye ring. And both are unmistakable when their richly hued feathers catch the sun and flash a gorgeous azure.
If you’re hoping to attract these beauties to your yard, you’re in luck: Bluebirds visit feeders and water bowls, and they are fond of nesting boxes. They are not fond of nesting near other bluebirds, however, so if you take the plunge and install a box, be sure to space it well away from any other boxes. The hole in the box should be between 1 ½ and 1 ” in diameter. Yeah, they’re that picky.
My yard exploded with bluebirds when I started serving dried mealworms in a hanging platform feeder. It took the birds a while to figure out the mealworms were there, but once they did, the news spread fast. Other birds like the mealworms, too: robins, spotted towhees, curve-billed thrashers and even crows.
I’ve been enjoying the antics of three fledgling western bluebirds who are almost ready to leave the nest. Big, floofy fuzzballs Huey, Dewey and Louie venture out on regular outings with their watchful parents, who stay close but let the kiddos do some exploring at one of the feeding stations. Still sporting their baby spots, the trio jostle and poke at one another sibling-style on the rim of the water bowl as they take tentative sips. When tired of this, they’ll practice flying short distances from the water bowl to tree branches and back again. With those eye rings and perpetually wide-eyed expressions, the babies appear to be utterly amazed at their own prowess. I love watching their confidence grow exponentially in just a couple of hours, and I know they’ll be on their own soon enough.
I can only hope they’ll continue to visit my feeders as adults and grace my yard with the occasional flash of wondrous and breathtaking color.
Amy Gross is a birder and the organizer of Santa Fe Birdbrains, a Northern New Mexico–based Meetup group.
