Always a joy to see

These Mountain Bluebirds seem to be so skittish! However, this handsome male stopped for a moment in a tree the far side of the road on Monday, Taken along one of the backroads south west of the city. It's always such a breathtaking sight when you see a Bluebird.

In Bluebirds, the blue colour is produced by the structure of the feather - there is no blue pigment. "Tiny air pockets in the barbs of feathers can scatter incoming light, resulting in a specific, non-iridescent color. Blue colors in feathers are almost always produced in this manner. Examples include the blue feathers of Bluebirds, Indigo Buntings, Blue Jay's and Steller's Jays."

www.birds.cornell.edu/allaboutbirds/studying/feathers/col...

www.jstor.org/discover/pgs/index?id=10.2307/4077277&i...