It's a Bluebird Day
by Mike Lee
Title
It's a Bluebird Day
Artist
Mike Lee
Medium
Photograph - Digital Photography
Description
I captured this image on a beautiful spring-like January day on a ranch in Redding, California, USA. This male western bluebird was hanging on a branch of a bare oak tree, surveying the grassy area below for a snack.
Like most thrush species, bluebirds prefer to feed on the ground in and near wooded areas. Like their close cousin, the robin, they like to dig worms and grubs from damp soil. They are cavity nesters and love it when we put houses out for them. I have a nice “trail” of houses on my small wooded parcel, and it’s certainly a sign of spring when the bluebirds arrive to make their nests in them.
Bluebirds have often been symbolic as well. In addition to the expression for which I’ve titled this image, they are considered sacred messengers in many native cultures. The Iroquois believe that the bluebird’s call wards off the icy power of Sawiskera, the spirit of winter.
𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘴, 𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘻𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘦, 𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘤𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘴, 𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦. 𝘈 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘙𝘦𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘢’𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦.
Uploaded
February 4th, 2022
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Comments (104)
Paisley Marten
That lighting hits just right—like a warm whisper of spring wrapped in feathers. The clarity and softness together really pull you in without trying too hard.
Sarah Irland
A beautiful photograph of this wonderful Western Bluebird, Mike! Such beautiful clarity and color. L/F
Mike Lee
I love it when they get here too....in warm weather they travel to places like mine - I only have thrushes in warm weather here (the robins go away in winter too).
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