Welcome to JOYFUL REFLECTIONS. Also welcome to MARCH!!!! My header picture this month is a photo I took of the pretty Crocus blooms in our yard... The Crocuses and Daffodils are the first signs of spring here in Tennessee. I am definitely ready for SPRING...

Monday, January 10, 2011

2010 Best of....: BLUEBIRDS

This past Friday,  I shared my favorite Woodpecker pictures from 2010.  Today,  I will show you my favorite little bird of all-time,  the EASTERN BLUEBIRD...  I wasn't a birdwatcher at all UNTIL the little Bluebirds nested in our backyard.  After that,  George bought me some bird books,  a CD with bird sounds,  and a pair of Binoculars.

I was 'gung-ho'---and started reading and learning ALL I could about birds,  especially little backyard songbirds.  My interest and passion just expanded from there.. George made me a nice feeding area on the deck --complete with clothes line for more feeders...  And the good news for me was that I could watch the little guys from 'inside' the house --and get great pictures,  especially after getting my new Canon Rebel camera and the 300 mm lens.

Here are some of my favorite pictures of the Bluebirds from 2010.  Above is a male Eastern Bluebird showing all of his beautiful colors.  This picture was taken on 1/15/10.





Here is a good picture of the female Eastern Bluebird.  You can tell that she is pretty--but not quite a colorful as the male.  This picture was taken on 1/31/10.





Here's another great picture of  a male Bluebird,  taken on 2/1/10.   I just cannot stop taking pictures of these little beauties.





And--here's the female Bluebird,  taken on 2/9/10.  We had a snowy, cold February--and all of the birds loved coming to the feeders ALOT when the weather was bad.





I just HAD to include this picture since Mrs. Bluebird was giving me "THE LOOK"--like the Pileated Woodpecker gave me in last Friday's post...  She is probably telling me to quit taking pictures, and turn some heat on outside!!!!! ha.. This picture was taken on 2/11/10.






Here is my favorite time of the year---when the little Bluebirds nest.  Some years they nest twice -but in 2010,  they only had one brood in 2010.  See the little one sticking his head out of the nest???   Is he ready to check out the big ole' world?????  In 2010,  there were 3 baby birds I think.  I saw them fledge in 2009 --but missed them in 2010.  This picture was taken on 6/8/10.





This is what a baby bluebird looks like.  He/she's speckled--as you can see.  They will come to the feeders once they learn to fly really good.  This picture was taken on 7/16/10.





Here's one more picture of the precious little baby Bluebirds as they come to the feeders. This one was also taken on 7/16/10.

I hope you have enjoyed seeing the  "Best of"  my Bluebirds in 2010..  If you have Bluebirds in your area,  then I hope you will put a Bluebird nestbox in your yard.  They are the cleanest birds I know of --and such a joy to watch!!!!

On another note,  we had about 2.4 inches of snow here this past Friday.  Then,  the bottom dropped and our temperatures dropped to almost zero... Now--there's another 'front' hitting us in the face.. This one may bring us the most snow of the season when it's all 'said and done'... As much as I love snow,  I think I have had enough of it this year.. AND--it's only January!!!!!  Yipes!!!!!   Guess I just need to relax and enjoy it!!!  OR---maybe I will just move to Florida and live with SANDRA.  ha ha

Hugs,

66 comments:

Unknown said...

All these photos are wonderful! I understand why this is your favorite bird.

Beth said...

Beautiful birds and great shots of them! The year I was laid off, Mike set up our deck for me, so I could feed the birds and watch. One of my requested presents was a heated bird bath and he bought it for me. I loved watching them! The logistics are not at all good for that now, so I really appreciate you sharing your birds with us. :)
I'm in the market for a new camera, but mine has to be able to get quick shots of little grandchildren who are quite fast. Is yours capable of that?

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

The little boy blue is not so little, he is my 14 year old son and he is taller than me.

It was after we had to walk on a lot of volcanic rocks, and I was far behind.

They were waiting for me, and he was squatting there resting while waiting for me.

The cows came so near to him.

This is another place where I showed you the sheep.

It's summer, and we want to make the best use of our holidays. So we have been out almost every alternate day. In winter, I usually hibernate and don't go out.

Twilight Man said...

I love this bird very much and heard of its name since I was a kid. The Japanese Nissan's car launched its Bluebird series and everyone wondered how this bird looked. Finally, I get to see its lovely colors today. Thank you so much Betsy!

T said...

How I"ve missed your bluebirds!

Arkansas Patti said...

Wonderful shots of the Blues. I love how the "face on" shots make the bird look pis*ed off.
I finally go two Blues. They don't use the feeder but enjoy the water fountain.
We got the first of that snow and Patti is finally happy. It came last night and I can't wait to go for a walk in the quiet.
Put another log on the fire and enjoy the bird show.

Catherine said...

Those are all such beautiful birds Betsy! Looks like you and I are stuck with this snow for awhile. Oh well, what can you do?

Keep warm!
xo Catherine

Ruth Hiebert said...

THose pictures are so beautiful,they belong on a calendar.Enjoy the quiet,relaxing time of winter and remember,that amount of snow would hardly be worth talking about up in my part of the world.I have a love/hate relationship with winter this year.Love the beauty it creates,but hate to clear the driveway and having to stay home alone more.OK,Ruth,enough of the whining.
Have a great day.
Blessings,Ruth

Valerie said...

I haven't seen our blue birds in a while - usually I see them in the winter - your photos make me miss them - they are so cute!

Well - with all this GLOBAL WARMING - of course you are going to get snow and zero degree temperatures - didn't they tell you to expect that? :0)

Seriously - stay warm and safe - a fire in the fireplace a good, book or movie or even better - play with your camera and get some more fabulous shots of your birdies!!

Wish I could be home today - but it's off to work I go ..

Have a great day!

Big Dude said...

Great shots Betsy. I've put up several bluebird houses and we have lots of the little fellers, but have never seen one at our feeder - guess there's plenty around for them to eat.

Anonymous said...

Good Snowy Morning Betsy! John and I enjoyed seeing your closeups of the pretty Blue birds this a.m. I love the look the Mrs. is giving you!!! Stay warm by the fire and enjoy watching the birds on this cold Monday.

floweringmama said...

Good morning! I just loved your bluebird pictures today, what a way to start a day! Don't you love being able to get pics from inside?

Melanie said...

Hi, Betsy~
Those are beautiful pictures!! What a great camera you have...such wonderful detail.
I got a new bird feeder for Christmas and set it out. The birds finally found it the other day. I really enjoy watching them.
We're supposed to get more snow tomorrow too. Stay safe!
Have a great week! :)

Anonymous said...

Your bluebirds are lovely. I can see why you like them so much. We have about a foot of snow on the ground. It's cold but in the teens. We're expecting more snow Tuesday night into Wednesday.

Lisa said...

They are amazing Betsy. Almost unbelievable that there are so many beautiful birds where you are and that you could take such great shots. Thank you. I enjoyed them.

I am back at blogging. Could not stay away from my friends;}

Happy New Year Betsy.

Lisa

From the Kitchen said...

I thought your post this morning might be about snow!!
However, I'm smiling at the beautiful bluebirds. As for snow, for once we're without and watching the south get hit.

Best,
Bonnie

Thoughtfully Blended Hearts said...

These great photos make me want to paint bluebirds...(kinda sorta) but it does bring out my longing to paint!!! Betsy, please don't stop taking these beautiful photos...they bring so much pleasure to us bloggers!!! Have a great week!!!

D said...

Hi Betsy,

I envy your bluebirds! ;) I even put up a house just for them last year, but none came so a wren moved in. lol

Sorry about your freezing temps, but we have the same: currently 27 and with a high forecast of 38 today. Stay warm dear lady and have a wonderful day.

Ginny Hartzler said...

These are great pictures!! Matter of fact, they are National Gepgraphic quality. I love them all. I heve never been able to snap a bluebird yet! We drive places where there are boxes, but they remain nervous and elusive. As soon as I see one, he flies away. In fact, I've never even gotten a real good look at one. Only in your blog...

amelia said...

Beautiful little birds!! I have never seen a live bluebird, we don't have them here so your blog will be as close as I get to seeing them!

Sunny said...

Your Bluebird pictures are wonderful, they are such dear little birdies. I have only seen one in this area and he only stayed long enough for me to get a blurry picture!
Keep warm.
☼ Sunny

Out on the prairie said...

You will have me humming Mr. Bluebird all day long.I love the intense colors with these birds. I found a design to make 8 houses for about $25 and set them all around my neighborhood last year in hopes of bringing them in.I precut and predrilled everything and had a 4 and 6 year old help me build them.Hope they got the birding fever. I started in 69, a self-taught ornitholigist lead weekly hikes around a new lake.

MadSnapper said...

love The Look on sweet little lady bluebird. they are really precious and sweet. hope that snow goes away soon

Busy Bee Suz said...

Oh my gosh...I love "the LOOK"...so darn cute.
Stay warm Betsy and be careful at what you ask for!! :)

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

This is a beautiful series of photos of a lovely species of bird. Good work.

We've had very little snow so far up in in Indiana. We're expecting 2-4 inches overnight, but you've been getting way more than that down in Tennessee. Our weather seems a little topsy turvy these days.

amy @ Life in Pink Hi-Tops said...

You sure do have some good looking birds! We got about 4.5" of snow over night--YIKES! Everything is shut down. School will probably be closed half the week! My freezer may get filled up with snowballs...

Karin said...

Such lovely birds and this is the only place I've seen them! Thanks for sharing all your lovely photos! Have fun in the snow - this too shall pass!

Diane said...

These are all great shots, Betsy, but I just love 4 and 5. Diane

I Am Woody said...

Gorgeous shots!! I am going to build a snowman today:)

Unknown said...

Oh you know how big a fan I am of bluebirds. I can't stop shooting the little guys either! We've been lucky enough to have 2-3 broods nest every yr for the past 4 or 5 yrs. It's a pleasure watching them leave the nest and come back to nest themselves. Just lovely lovely shots Betsy!

Pat - Arkansas said...

What lovely, lovely little birds! I have yet to see one "in real life." Thanks for sharing your great photos.

We got around 5" of snow yesterday. I filled the feeders full this morning, but I am overrun with Grackles again today, and the feeders are down by at least half, right now. I guess everything has to eat, but I hope the Cardinals, Juncos and Sparrows get enough. I probably will make another feeder run in early afternoon. It's a good thing I laid in another 20# of food before the snow hit.

Lynda said...

They are beautiful and adorable! They look so perfect. God is amazing - - all the animals HE created and such variety. His creation is astounding and at times overwhelming! How can people not worship HIM?

Kay said...

Great shots as usual.

Unknown said...

Your pics are wonderful Betsy of some of my fave colourful birds, although I rarely see them where I am, but then we have Blue Jays and Cardinals. I love the one peeking out the nest, so cute.

It's snowing here right now and our temps are going to be frigid all week, you & George stay warm!

Kim@stuffcould.... said...

I love these bluebirds! could almost touch them. Yikes we are freezing in GA...it is headed for yall
kim

Tracy said...

Okay Betsy, I love your bluebirds in all the photos. I certainly hope what I added to my feeder collections draws those beautiful creatures to mine as well. We'll just have to wait and see.

Okay, before you wrote about our family liking sports at my place I didn't notice that most every single page revolved around sports; how funny! I had to laugh at myself...but in my defense, we had the beach? :) Funny thing, we had an early release today becuase of the weather and so I woke Nicholas up just a tad late because I was waiting to see if we would be closed and he said to me,
Nee Nee, I won't have time to watch Sportscenter!' oh my goodness....(he calls me NeeNee and has since he could talk and we don't know where it came from but it obviously means 'mom')
anyway, love the photos; stay warm and dry and just stay inside...we probably won't have school tomorrow for sure :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Betsy, Glorious photographs of your Eastern Bluebird visitors! Our snowfall has not been too bad so far - we have about 3" now on the ground. My hubby just shoveled the driveway. The lake is much more iced today with some areas of snow on top. Have a great day & stay warm. Watch out for icy spots on the road or walks - I fell today when I slipped on an icy patch on the street as I walked (yes I had hiking boots on). No major injury thank you Jesus! Again, have a super good day!

Fred Alton said...

Bluebirds are beautiful birds and I love it when they visit here! Your pictures are fabulous. We had 7 inches of snow here - out the office window! I made a big bowl of snow cream - and stored about 3 pints in the freezer!

Fred Alton said...

Bluebirds are beautiful birds and I love it when they visit here! Your pictures are fabulous. We had 7 inches of snow here - out the office window! I made a big bowl of snow cream - and stored about 3 pints in the freezer!

Neal said...

Betsy, I just love those shots. I've always loved bluebirds and remember, as a kid, going around and looking in the holes in fence posts to see if I could find a blue bird nest. There were always some nests around our old home place.

Jo said...

Oh my, Betsy;) these birds are the BEST! I just love the one who's giving you "the look"! And the one peeping out from its nest. We've just had wrynecks nesting in our sisal nesting box and I will post about them later this week. Wrap up warmly, you and George. Blessings, Jo

Cheryl @ TFD said...

Hi Betsy,

I love all the birds and it's really hard to say one is a favorite, but if I had to choose...the bluebird it would be! I've been watching them since we moved to this house 20 plus years ago. We've put up several houses and have seen several pairs in our yard. I saw 3 yesterday, but I haven't ever seen them at the feeders. Can't figure that out. Anyway, beautiful photos...I especially love the first one.

It's snowing here, too, and will be down in the single digits tomorrow night. Brrr!! Stay warm!

Hugs,
Cheryl

Joe Todd said...

I see the Snow is making you feel Blue in a good way LOL.. Have a great week

A Brit in Tennessee said...

Your pictures made me smile ;D
Bluebirds remind me of English Robins, tiny little birds, with sweet personalities...
I just think your bird pictures are all so very special, such a variety, and I'm convinced you have names for each and every one of them !
We had five inches of snow, a little farther south they have eleven ..
I see we are getting more tomight, especially for you on the Plateau, George better get the sled out ...lol.
Stay safe,
Hugs,
Jo
x

~mel said...

You are sooooooooooo fortunate to be able to see the bluebirds all the time like you do! Isn't it a fun and relaxing hobby!! I'm so glad you share it with us.

SmilingSally said...

I just had to stop in to say Happy Blue Monday, Betsy, with these beautiful blue birds.

Stay warm!

NCmountainwoman said...

I do love your Bluebirds. We live in the woods so we never seen them, but I sometimes walk on the golf course where there are nesting boxes all over. Lovely photographs.

Kathy W said...

Those bluebirds are so sweet. It took me awhile when I first started seeing you post them to realize these aren't bluejays. Your bird pics are always wonderful. =)

Anonymous said...

This is my first visit to your blog. I found you via a comment youo made on someone else's blog and it had to do with birds. Since we love birds and photographing them I thought I really should check you out! I love these Bluebird photos. We are staying in Georgia for the winter (working for the Army Corp and staying in our 5th wheel) and have put up our feeder. We've seen all kinds of birds, but yesterday we finally had a blue bird. We don't get them where we live (Upper Peninsula of Michigan) until spring, so it is special seeing them now. Great job.

Sharon said...

I want a bluebird house this year, I think they are so pretty. That one picture of the female looking at you - she appears quite miffed! LOL!

Unknown said...

I so love blue birds. I am hoping that once I get my landscaping done this spring, I can plant some type of plant that they will enjoy. Then I will be able to enjoy watching them. Any suggestions? I know I should also put up a box for them, right? I am going to have to get my parents in on this too; they are pretty up on their birds. Beautiful pictures!

Deb from WhatsInMyAttic said...

I love these pictures...we should have bluebirds, and I have friends that see them often in their yard not far from us, but we've only seen two in the eight years we've been here. I must be doing something wrong! You have terrific pics for me to enjoy, though!

Anonymous said...

The birds are stunning.

Lisa said...

Besty Im telling you really made me laugh with the Look.. Priceless and loved your post on these beauties. Im not sure we have them here. Birds for me are a big challenge so when I do get some Im pretty happy.
Thanks Betsy.
Lisa

Lola said...

Love those little Blue Birds. Wish they would come round here. Saw my first female cardinal this morning out the kitchen window. I was so thrilled. There use to be 2 sets but noticed a couple yrs ago that there was 1 male & 2 females. They seem to travel together.

mudderbear said...

I just love these photographs. They are awesome. I will be sad if they are not there tomorrow, and I could look at them all day. Love the little Mrs. with The Look.

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Your bird photographs are such wonderful close ups! It's so nice seeing such wonderful detail. I know birds move quickly so you must have your camera on a fast setting. Bluebirds are adorable..we hardly ever see them here.

We are expecting snow on Wednesday -- the weatherman says up to a foot! I agree Betsy, it's time to move to Florida...lol!

Lagean Ellis said...

You always have the prettiest pictures. Just love blue birds!

SquirrelQueen said...

All of the little bluebirds look so sweet. I think the females are beautiful, the one in photo #4 looks like she is wearing eye makeup!

If you are getting tired of all the snow I will stop having it shipped into your area, LOL!

We got just a dusting last night but we have freezing rain turning to rain later this week.

ratieh said...

the first bird, i love the color, it's soooo pretty!!

KathyA said...

They are by far my favorite of the small bird, too. And they're still around -- I've seen more of them in the past two weeks than I did all summer!

I also like raptors.

Your photos are WONDERFUL!!!

Dar said...

Oh, Betsy, You posted my favorite summer bird. I have quite a few bluebirds that stay in the bluebird houses my brother made for me. I love watching them settle in for a bath and drink at the birdbath. They seldom come to the feeders but linger in the fruit trees all day long.
Thanks for sharing your excellent photos with us.
BlessYourHearts

Janie said...

Your bluebird pics are all beautiful. We're getting a lot of birds at the feeder this year, I guess because of the deeper than usual snow.

Jen said...

Fabulous Blue Bird shots Betsy!
I am a fan of this bird too! I'm hoping they return to my box this spring. This will be year three.

Mary said...

I love your bluebirds! I very rarely see one and haven't convinced any to stick around yet. I did put up a house last year, but don't have a good location.

Carletta said...

Wow Betsy!
These are outstanding! That first shot is definitely magazine worthy. I LOVE these!