Bluebirds

They have arrived! They are back! The bluebirds are here! I officially observed eight bluebirds diving down from the wires above the street in front of my house this past week. They were devouring unsuspecting insects. Their presence in our lives is a gift from the creator. Their ability to fly through the air and land on the ground stirs our souls with wonder. Like all birds, bluebirds defy gravity. Their glorious blue feathers remind us of their special place in the world.

Apart from the sky and the sea, blue is a rather rare color in nature. It was seldom used in prehistoric art as it was hard to come by. Blue pigment was made from finely ground lazulite, a semi-precious stone. It was so rare and expensive that it was reserved for only highly prized paintings.

Blue is the color of moonlight. The color blue slows the heart rate and is known to reduce blood pressure. It is also known as the color of gloom, bruises, and isolation. We often refer to having “the blues” at certain times in our lives. The blues in music mix sadness with humor, allowing the singer to share his emotions through song. The color blue has many sacred meanings.

Bluebirds make me smile. I am not sad one bit when I gaze upon their bright blue feathers in the morning sun. I do not see bluebirds year-round in my neighborhood. They show up in the fall and depart late spring. I have noticed them coming and going for several years.

Some folks see bluebirds year-round in parts of Georgia and Florida. This leads many to believe that bluebirds do not migrate. However, the truth is that some bluebirds do migrate and some don’t. According to ornithologists, the birds that both migrate and those that stay put year-round are called “partial migrants.”

Unraveling the mystery of partial migration has mystified scientists for a long time. Some bluebirds will head south and fly by traditional wintering grounds, heading for places like Bermuda and Cuba. Most bluebirds that are hatched in the south and central U.S. will not migrate at all. Yet others will migrate only several miles each year.

Bluebirds from Canada will migrate to the Southeast U.S. for the winter. Here, they mix with non-migrating bluebirds, significantly increasing the local population. The males may arrive before the females, but not all the time. Some migrating bluebirds will travel as family groups and winter together before returning north for the summer.

The eastern bluebirds that do migrate fly along the edges of forests and fields. They scatter among suburban yards, pastures, orchards, brushy fencerows and even in mature hardwood forests. Most eastern bluebirds return year after year to the same place they nested previously.

I am fortunate to witness bluebirds in two places near my home. As mentioned above, I observe bluebirds in my neighborhood on the north end of Amelia Island. I also observe bluebirds at the ranch in western Nassau County where my horse lives.

At the ranch, there are two long poultry barns that are no longer used to raise chickens. One barn always remains open for the horses to seek shelter. The other barn has been outfitted with stalls and tack rooms. Both barns have long roof lines, which are a favorite perching site for bluebirds.

I often see five or six bluebirds lined up on the edge of the barn roofs, looking down onto the pasture below. One at a time they dive down to feed on unsuspecting insects. Once they devour their catch, they move further down the line of the roof edge. They do not crowd each other or fight over insects. They allow each bird plenty of space to observe the buffet below.

It is quite entertaining to watch bluebirds work their way down the edge of the long roof line. Once they reach the end of the roof line, they fly back to the beginning and repeat the process. I love to sit and watch the brilliant colors of blue flash as the bluebirds dash down to the pasture below, hunting for food.

There are times when all the bluebirds along the roof line of the barn immediately take flight and head for cover. It does not take long to understand why they depart so quickly. Typically, it is a nearby falcon that interrupts the bluebird buffet. Although I have never witnessed a falcon catch a bluebird in mid-air, I know it happens.

Falcons love to eat bluebirds. I have found plenty of evidence of this while walking through the pasture. Piles of brilliant, beautiful, blue feathers can be found littering the ground where the falcon consumed a bluebird. I am sure this is one of several reasons the color blue is associated with sadness. However cruel this seems, it is all part of the web of life. We are all connected.

The sight of a bluebird personally brings me joy. I love the color blue especially on a cold, clear winter day when high pressure dominates a cloudless blue, blue sky. The falcon soars above the pasture seeking a bluebird as the bluebird dances along a long roof line seeking insects. This is a show worth watching over and over while absorbing the warmth of the winter sun.

Migrating or not, bluebirds remind me of humanity. Some of us migrate seasonally, seeking better climatic conditions for a few months each year, while others stay put. People migrate seasonally for both leisure and for work. Where would the state of Florida be today without migrating tourists and migrating workers? As I have said before, we are all connected in more ways than many realize.

Some happiness arrived in my neighborhood this week. The bluebirds are here, showing off their brilliant blue color and spreading joy to those who make the time to observe them as life flies by.