Western Bluebird

My first experience with bluebirds was here in Aldea when moving here in fall 2014. Aldea has quite a few both Western and Mountain Bluebirds. I commonly see both species when walking through all of Aldea.

The male Western Bluebird is stunning with a deep blue head, upper parts and wings with a red-brown breast. The female is much duller with gray above, dull blue wings and tail. You can see the difference in the photos below.

Freeze-dried Mealworms — Love ‘em!

I snapped the photos this week while the bluebirds were feeding on freeze-dried mealworms placed in the base of a bell-type feeder. Western Bluebirds readily consume mealworms. They are so much fun to watch. In the warmer months I put the mealworms in a small, shallow clay pot saucer with water, placing it on the ground. A kind of “soup” that both adults and fledglings devour as the mealworms soften a bit as they absorb water.

We were lucky enough to have (somehow) correctly placed a bluebird nesting box in the backyard so that a pair of Western Bluebirds claimed it shortly after we installed it on Feb. 15, 2015. It was the dead of winter, but everything I had researched stated that boxes need to be up by then as bluebirds are already pairing up and searching for nesting sites.

Two Successful Broods in Aldea Backyard 

Last year we had the great pleasure of witnessing two successful bluebird broods fledge. The male and female are tireless, dedicated parents. We think that at least four survived from each brood—eight total since we had seen them frequently return as a group to the yard. 

It was interesting that the day after the first brood fledged, the adults immediately started building a new nest in the box. We had emptied the box out once all the fledglings left, sanitized it and put it right back up—as we had researched. It is interesting to note that some of first brood of fledglings actually helped feed the second brood of fledglings using the freeze-dried meal worms from the soup! The dynamics were so interesting to watch and heart warming. 

Have Earned A Special Place

Western Bluebirds are such a beautiful bird with an inquisitive demeanor towards people. They are not as skittish around us as other birds. And they for sure are right there when I put out mealworms. Sometimes they land in the feeder when I am just a few feet away from it after replenishing. They have earned a special place in our yard and on my watch.

A group of bluebirds are collectively known by the same nouns as for thrushes. A “hermitage” or a “mutation” of thrushes or bluebirds.

Male, female Western Bluebirds in Aldea. Click on photos to enlarge.