Foraging Bluebird

I got this somewhat obstructed picture of an Eastern Bluebird this spring. While the bird seemed to be awfully interested in this tree, I have to confess I'm not certain what had gotten his attention:

  1. I know squirrels and birds will sometimes eat the buds off of trees; it's possible that's what's going on here. My understanding is that bluebirds - like their bigger American Robin cousins - are omnivorous, preferring to eat bugs when they're available but willing to go vegetarian when bugs are scarce. Bugs > Buds > Nothing.
  2. This looks like a smallish opposite-branching tree; I'm suspicious that it's a dogwood tree.
  3. When I asked the internet whether birds eat dogwood buds, I found about a bajillion gazillion articles about birds eating dogwood berries, and a couple broken links about them eating dogwood buds. (Thanks a lot, internet.)
  4. And of course trees - especially native ones - are home to insects, so it's possible that our bluebird friend has found some small insects to eat off the tree.
As frequently happens, it's hard to know exactly what's going on here, though educated guesses can be made.
May 3, 2023 at Duke Farms
Photo 278556385, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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