Mountain Bluebird - out of the blue.

Mountain Bluebird photographed near Princeton, BC.

While camping at a resort near Princeton, BC, I had a chance to visit a wildlife refuge that was nearby.  There are about 5 km of trails there and it took me two days to cover them all.  That may sound like an unreasonably slow rate of progression, but I took several hundred images during my time there and did a fair amount of step retracing.  The end result was the opportunity to get some great hiking in and see three bird species I have never encountered before.

On the first day, I saw and photographed a pygmy nuthatch.  I have seen the white-breasted and red-breasted varieties but never this species.  The second day caught me completely off guard, as within the span of 30 seconds I saw the other two, a Bullock's oriole and a mountain bluebird.  It was a stunning discovery, for me anyway, and I can still feel the thrill of the moment thinking back on it.  Many of you may think this a bit odd, to be so enthralled by seeing a bird or two, but you have to understand I have been birdwatching for 40 years and have never seen either of the two.

The previous day provided the opportunity to see many species, including a western bluebird with chick.  I have seen these before, on at least two other occasions, but an opportunity to witness such a beautiful bird in its native habitat always leaves me with a great sense of awe.  It was the discovery of the mountain bluebird which really took me aback though.  The western has less blue on it with a reddish chest and back and white belly and undertail coverts.  The mountain variety is mostly blue with lighter belly and undertail area.  I remember praying quietly to myself for it to stay in position long enough for me to get a decent shot of it.

The mountain bluebird is not in any jeopardy as there are an estimated 5 million of them that exist throughout their summer and winter ranges.  They are partial to insects and eat mostly animal matter, especially during summer months.  Like the western bluebird, they are cavity nesters and require a hole in a tree to propagate.  Starlings often take their nesting sites, so we can help these populations by constructing birdhouses that they will utilize.  Their requirements are somewhat specific, as hole size and location play a large part in having them successfully bring up a family in one.  I found a good website here documenting several ideas on the subject.

One of my goals is to spread my enthusiasm regarding wildlife and healthy ecosystems to others in the hope that we can build lasting habitats for these creatures to exist, despite our best efforts to destroy all living things.  Thanks for reading; consider sharing my posts with others to share that view.

Thanks for reading.   www.ericspix.com   Eric Svendsen