Eastern Phoebe / Sayornis phoebe
Colour for a dreary day
A snack that is sure to tickle
Flashing his neck feathers
Yellow Lady's-slipper
Moose in the late evening sun
Grape Hyacinth / Muscari sp.
Brant grain elevator
Eared Grebe
Chionodoxa forbesii, white
A scene from the past
Eastern Kingbird
Masterwort / Astrantia major
Moose kneeling to lick salt from the road
Blue and banded
Barberry
Ten little bundles of joy
The dreaded Goat's-beard / Tragopogon dubius
Ruby-throated Hummingbird, flashing his colour
Muscari sp., white
Swainson's Hawk
Purple avens / Geum rivale
Yellow-headed Blackbird female
Having fun with its reflection
Neighbours of the feathered kind
Eared Grebe / Podiceps nigricollis
Pasqueflower / Pulsatilla vulgaris
Western Tent Caterpillars
Clouds and Dandelions
American Goldfinch female with Sunflower seed
Fritillary
A lovely splash of colour
Spiny Rose Gall
Well, hello, little Chickadee
Collecting supper for her babies
A little blossom flower
Coyote in a field of dandelions
When black isn't really black
Shades of orange
Snack time for baby Coot
Love these little guys
Convergent Ladybug / Hippodamia convergens
Western Tent Caterpillar - one of many
Red-winged Blackbird female
A touch of England
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Almost time to fledge


Two days ago, on 9 June 2015, I went for a drive SW of the city, along my "usual" backroads. I had been watching a pair of Mountain Bluebirds and, while waiting for them to make an appearance again, I suddenly noticed two little beaks push through the hole in the nesting box. A few seconds later, this baby Bluebird poked its head through the hole and took a look at the big, big world beyond its cozy little nest. Such a cute little thing!
I have only ever once seen baby Bluebirds that have fledged and that was a number of years ago, when I happened to spot them down on the ground, in the grasses. Usually, they are there one day and then gone the next and I don't see them again till the next year. Yesterday, I did the drive again and was happy to see that the little family had not yet left. Maybe today will be the day, which means that I know I will do the drive again : ) As usual, I noticed flashes of blue near quite a few nest boxes.
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.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mountain_Bluebird/id
www.jstor.org/discover/pgs/index?id=10.2307/4077277&i...
I have only ever once seen baby Bluebirds that have fledged and that was a number of years ago, when I happened to spot them down on the ground, in the grasses. Usually, they are there one day and then gone the next and I don't see them again till the next year. Yesterday, I did the drive again and was happy to see that the little family had not yet left. Maybe today will be the day, which means that I know I will do the drive again : ) As usual, I noticed flashes of blue near quite a few nest boxes.
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.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mountain_Bluebird/id
www.jstor.org/discover/pgs/index?id=10.2307/4077277&i...
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