Eastern Bluebirds

Here are a few Eastern Bluebirds hanging out in trees. I was fortunate enough to see them all on the same day last May. I believe they're all the more vibrantly colored males, though the middle picture might be a little questionable. 

I was happy to see these guys, fitting given the expression the bluebird of happiness. It sounds like many cultures have positive feelings about birds that are blue [1], though Asian and European traditions associating birds with blue plumage with happiness certainly predate their knowledge of Eastern Bluebirds like these guys. And some Native American myths about "blue birds" are believed to be about Blue Grosbeaks.

You should be able to find these birds in New Jersey all year round.

May 18, 2023 at Fairview Farm
Photo 292810452, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

May 18, 2023 at Fairview Farm
Photo 292810825, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


May 18, 2023 at Willowwood Arboretum
Photo 292812808, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

[1] If you go back far enough in history, many cultures didn't consider blue and green to be separate colors, presumably thinking of them as separate shades of the same color. It's possible some of the birds originally inspiring happiness were actually green.

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