When the sleet, ice, and snow stopped falling two days ago, I was outside photographing birds when I took photos of this female Eastern Bluebird eating snow.
Female Eastern Bluebird eating snow in Arkansas – Canon R7, f8, 1/2000, ISO 800, +1.7 EV, Canon EF 100-400mm II at 400mm, natural light
The birdbath was covered in snow, and the water beneath it was frozen solid, so the bluebird ate the snow to quench her thirst. A male Eastern Bluebird joined her, and they both “drank” the snow.
The bluebirds weren’t alone—I saw American Goldfinches and Dark-eyed Juncos ‘drinking’ the snow too.
It never got above freezing that day, but the black birdbath absorbed enough heat from the sun to warm up a bit, melting some of the snow and ice as the day went on. The birds were happy!
Yesterday was even colder when dawn broke, a low of 7°F, and it never warmed beyond 25°F. The black birdbath helped, melting the ice at the edges just enough for the birds to get a drink.
The Eastern Bluebirds have apparently grown tired of the aggressive Northern Mockingbird and have begun to give as good as they’ve gotten from that mockingbird. They aren’t taking any guff from it now.
Last year, when the bluebirds were nesting, they were pretty aggressive toward the mockingbird, and nesting time is getting close again.
The Eastern Bluebirds are scarfing down the mealworms we put out with absolute gusto. It was a treat to photograph them in the snow.
The snow has mostly melted because it was sunny all day yesterday. Even though the temps were below freezing, the radiant warmth of the sun helped with that.
Next week, it’s going to warm up again, and we might even see temps reaching 70°F. I’m ready for that!
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Eastern Bluebird photos plus facts and information about this species.
Beautiful shot and your narrative is very interesting. Thanks Mia.