January Blues

Birds, that is...

Bluebirds usually have the good sense to fly south for the winter, but there are exceptions to the rule. These birds were obviously flying (or, rather, sitting) in the face of the conventional wisdom of their kind by hanging around in Baloo's big field in January.

 

I thought they were quite picturesque bravely perched with snow falling all around them. They seemed pretty unperturbed by both the weather and my presence.  I wondered what they might be finding to eat, since they tend to prefer bugs to other forms of nourishment.

Here is madam, with her more muted blue-gray wings and softer orange breast.

She curiously watched my progress along the trail.

I caught one picture with both of them in it, but it isn't the best - madam is hiding behind a branch and the sun, while hidden by clouds, is still backlighting them, making the picture too bright and exposed. 

When I was in Missouri, bluebirds would stay in the woods near my house all year. I have homemade hickory log feeders that I fill with a concoction of peanut butter, cornmeal and bird seeds and the bluebirds in Missouri loved that stuff. The ones in this area have yet to discover these feeding stations - the chickadees, nuthatches and woodpeckers make good use of them, though.