Family: Turdidae
Thrushes and their allies are elegant songsters, they are usually long-legged with short, blunt tipped bills. They feed on insects, worms, snails and fruits. Some thrushes are brightly colored like bluebirds and Varied Thrushes and some are dull in coloration such as Townsend’s Solitaires and Gray-cheeked Thrushes. They can be found in many different habitats.
Having a female Eastern Bluebird perch on a lovely Christmas gnome decoration? That’s great fun and a joyous way to usher in the holidays here in Arkansas.
I simply can't resist photographing bluebirds when I see them, and this male Eastern Bluebird I had in my viewfinder yesterday was certainly no exception.
Autumn brings a warm glow to Arkansas, and this Eastern Bluebird on driftwood is a perfect reminder of the season’s gentle transformation.
Just a quick post this morning about an American Robin perched on a shed deer antler. These robin photos were taken in low light around 8 a.m. yesterday.
When I photographed this immature Eastern Bluebird three days ago, I imagined she had a question for me: "Hey, it's October. When is it going to cool down?"
On the same day I photographed the young Northern Mockingbird I shared yesterday, I also had a striking male Eastern Bluebird in my viewfinder for a little bit.
It has been quite the spring and summer for me. Part of the reason is seeing three broods of bluebirds. This hatch-year Eastern Bluebird might be one of them.
I never thought I'd see an American Robin nesting in August, but I have. August in Arkansas should be too hot for robins to be nesting now. I guess it’s not.
Yesterday morning, the Eastern Bluebird in Steve Creek's third brood fledged. We sat for hours on his deck, waiting for the one chick to leave the nest box.
I'm sharing these seven Eastern Bluebird images that I took yesterday because I like them and because I am getting behind on sharing Arkansas photos.
It was very hot yesterday when I photographed this American Robin. The heat index was 109°F, I was melting. What do these birds do to help them handle the heat?
This young Eastern Bluebird is from the second brood in my friend Steve Creek's nest box in Arkansas this year. I took these bluebird photos two days ago.
It got really hot yesterday and if there were a bird bath here I might have gotten into it and splashed around like this bathing American Robin did in April.
Before I left Arkansas, I had the privilege of seeing and photographing this male Eastern Bluebird teaching his young fledglings where to find food.
Some of my images simply make me laugh out loud. This male Eastern Bluebird photo did that because it looks like the bird is levitating over Steve Creek's yard.
In a previous post, I showed some of the food a male Eastern Bluebird brought in to feed his chicks. This crane fly prey had Steve and me scratching our heads.
In my post yesterday I mentioned that three of the Eastern Bluebird chicks left their nest box in my friend Steve's yard. Today I am sharing two photos of them.
Steve and I have some sad news today: the mama Eastern Bluebird at Steve's nest box is no more. The last time we saw her at the nest box was Sunday evening.
Today, I am sharing portraits of a male Eastern Bluebird that were taken in my friend Steve Creek's yard. The male bluebird was bringing food in to his chicks.
I was able to get outdoors and into the sunshine yesterday. I visited my local pond and took a series of American Robin portraits at the edge of the water.
This is the first American Robin that I have photographed in local crabapple trees all winter long. Usually, by March, the crabapples are eaten and long gone.
It was a dreary, low-light kind of day last winter when I photographed this American Robin kicking snow to uncover frozen crabapples for breakfast from my Jeep.
I'm breaking from my own tradition this year and simply calling 2023 a wrap. Typically, I share photos from each month of the year and write about my journeys.
I haven't been outdoors much this week, but I have been hearing parts of the American Robin spring song at times when I have needed to go somewhere.
When I photographed this American Robin perched in a crabapple tree last winter the light was low, the sky was cloudy, and there was snow on the ground.
In 2024, the common name for Townsend's Solitaire will change, along with many other bird names. My recommendation would be to rename it the Juniper Solitaire.
Just a quick post this morning highlighting a young Eastern Bluebird photographed while foraging on the ground in my friend Steve Creek's yard in Arkansas.
All across the country it is nesting season for many North American birds. For some nesting birds it is also a very dangerous time because of fishing line.
This mix of urban birds were taken over a two day period close to home. Birds, no matter where they are, bring me joy, happiness, and even laughter.
This morning I am sharing a Western Bluebird memory from seven years ago. That day I found small flock of these colorful bluebirds in the West Desert.