Birding: Look for a brilliant blue visitor
Published 11:38 am Thursday, April 20, 2023
- The female chooses the nesting cavity from those the male presents. Then, she alone, does all the hard work of building the nest.
Many years ago, I was birding at Cape D when a brilliant turquoise blue bird caught my attention. It was perched in a small tree near the parking lot closest to the jetty and Benson’s Beach. That was a first for me on the Long Beach Peninsula. I haven’t seen it here since.
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I keep hoping for another glimpse of this magnificent looking bird. I hope because the year-round range for the mountain bluebird as shown on the map comes closest to the coast in Southwest Washington state, which means it could wander over or be blown to Cape D again. After all, Cape D seems to be a magnet for unusual or rare birds. Most recently, it is being seen in Tokeland, which is not all that far from the Peninsula.
The mountain bluebird is a member of the thrush family. Its preferred habitat is clearings, open forests and even meadows. Higher elevations than sea level are preferred as well. It has already arrived and begun to nest in the foothills of the province of Alberta in Canada. I watched several pair go in and out of nest boxes with on the 16th of April. Its nesting material consists of grass placed in a natural cavity or a nest box which the female builds in her chosen spot. The male presents a few nesting places, then she gets to choose. Data collected by the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology indicates that the male is a pretender. He pretends to help by going to the cavity but doesn’t carry any material or if he does, he ditches it on his way. The female does all the hard work! The mountain bluebird is an early nester so the female could lay her four to six pale-blue eggs as early as April. She may also raise a second brood.
The critical issue for the mountain bluebird is the availability of insects during the breeding season. Insects are almost exclusively eaten during the breeding season and are fed to the nestlings. They specifically love to have spiders, caterpillars, grasshoppers, and beetles as part of their diet. In winter, berries, seeds, and insects are on the menu.
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The mountain bluebird is a medium sized thrush a little larger than an American goldfinch. The male is a brilliant turquoise blue above and a paler turquoise below. He is a dazzler when the sun shines in all its glory on his blue feathers. His black eyes also shine when the sun produces a catchlight in the eye. The female and young, on the other hand, are mostly grayish with pale blue feathers on the wings and tail. The mountain bluebird has longer wings and tail compared with other bluebirds, and it is also stockier looking with a thin bill.
The mountain bluebird’s behavior resembles that of the American kestrel when feeding it can hover in midair just like the kestrel when it is hunting. It also hunts from a perch flying off to snatch and grab in flight or drop quickly to the ground to snag a meal.
The mountain bluebird would be an exciting observation for us on the Peninsula. I will continue to hope it drops by and stays awhile. Happy birding!