Mountain Bluebirds Attending To Nesting Duties

On my recent Montana camping trip I was pleased to note that the good folks of Big Sky Country care deeply about their bluebirds. Nest boxes of every description and age seem to be abundant on both private and public land and along road corridors. Nesting season was in full swing, as were the traditional spats between Mountain Bluebirds and Tree Swallows for nesting rights to the boxes.

On these trips I can never resist photographing the bluebirds in particular as they perform their domestic duties.

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Just A Shot That I Like…#24 – Western Bluebird Taking Off

I’ve always been a sucker for unusual poses and flight postures.   1/1600, f/5.6, ISO 800, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc  This female Mountain Bluebird had been flitting around in the brush all morning while looking for cicadas to feed her brood.  I didn’t have much light for the shot (I was surprised to get a catch light) and there’s a lot going on in the background but for me  the wing and tail position and the somewhat unusual angle of take-off helped to make up for it. I’m sure looking forward to spending more time with these birds up north this summer. Ron

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