northeast-flora-and-fauna

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) jpviolett...

Though a number of our local birds have blue plumage [1], the Tree Swallows are almost certainly the shiniest. While some birds are bluer (like Indigo Buntings , Blue Grosbeaks , and probably Blue Jays ), when you factor in the shine, you get a Tree Swallow [2]. I'm pretty sure those thorns indicate this fella was in a Honey Locust tree. I don't know if it's a favorite perch for this bird, but it might be a little safer there than elsewhere. I suspect that any climbing predator would need to take care to avoid those dangerously sharp thorns. Of course, this tree provides little protection from an aerial attack from a hawk. Since the males are generally bluer/shinier, this is almost certainly a male. May 14, 2023 at Duke Farms Photo 292808063, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) [1] But they don't have blue pigment; their blue plumage is dependent on their feather structure to reflect the blue light hitting them. [2] At least that's true for New Jersey...

Here's a Blue Grosbeak I met last May, and it's yet another bird-that's-blue in my area. The males are nearly as blue as one of their local relatives  [1], the Indigo Bunting . I think you're supposed to distinguish between the 2 species due to: The proportionately large beak of the Blue Grosbeak. The rufus wingbars of the Blue Grosbeak. Seen together (which I've never done) the Blue Grosbeak is bigger. More distantly related to the Blue Grosbeak are the Rose-breasted Grosbeak and the Northern Cardinal; they're all in the cardinal family  (AKA cardinal-grosbeak family [2]). As I mentioned in my Rose-breasted Grosbeak post, the name "grosbeak" comes from the French "gros" meaning large, not the English "gross" meaning repulsive. Blue Grosbeak's breed in our area but they prefer to spend the winter in warmer climes. They're generally considered to be "uncommon but widespread". May 4, 2023 at Duke Farms Photo 27856...

I had a somewhat rare treat in late May when I met this Indigo Bunting at Sourland. They're considered to be a fairly common bird, but I don't spot them a lot. This is only my 2nd picture of them, which admittedly is twice as many as I have of the bird they're most often confused with, the Blue Grosbeak . (Besides being blue, both birds are in the cardinal family .) I did notice this bird exactly where you're supposed to find them, edge habitat where meadows meet woods. I had a distant but unobstructed view of this guy (the females would have little or no blue) before he flew off. May 27, 2021 at Sourland Mountain Preserve Photo 133211246, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)