BS: mountain bluebird question

Subject: BS: mountain bluebird question
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 13 Jan 08 - 01:38 PM

This question is for Americans and Canadians.

Do you have mountain bluebirds where you live? If so, do the males stay blue in the winter?

I am used to birds which lose their bright plumage in the winter, but so far two birdbooks don't show a winter plumage for bluebirds.

I ask because I am interested in a trip to an area where mountain bluebirds over-winter, and I'm hoping they will be colorful.

Subject: RE: BS: mountain bluebird question
From: maeve
Date: 13 Jan 08 - 02:18 PM

Leeneia- We generally don't have the mountain bluebird here in Maine, but I looked in my copy of the Sibley Bird Guide and do not see any winter colors. Maybe you'd want to try searching the Audubon website closest to the area you'll be visiting. Have a wonderful time...and I hope you'll let us know what you see.

maeve

Subject: RE: BS: mountain bluebird question
From: wysiwyg
Date: 13 Jan 08 - 02:20 PM

All things bluebird: http://audubon-omaha.org/bbbox/bbfaq.htm

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: mountain bluebird question
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 13 Jan 08 - 04:15 PM

Sialia currucoides- The mountain bluebird in Canada nests from southern Manitoba, across the prairie provinces, through British Columbia to the southern Yukon and to central Alaska. It migrates south in Winter to Montana and south to Texas and Mexico. It also nests from Montana to New Mexico.

The male keeps its blue color all year, the females are smoke grey tinged with blue.

Along the Alberta Foothills in the Rockies, many ranchers and other country dwellers maintain nest boxes along fences.

Subject: RE: BS: mountain bluebird question
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 13 Jan 08 - 05:11 PM

Leeneia, how about southern breeding areas?
My old New Mexico birdbook indicates "common" breeding colonies in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, Taos, on the upper Pecos at Cowles. All of these places are very scenic, and not hot (7000-10,000 feet) in the summer. Wintering migrants common along the Rio Grande Valley in central to southern New Mexico.
All species are decreasing due to loss of habitat and chemicals, but the mountain bluebird is still fairly common.

Contact the Sangre de Cristo Audubon Society, Santa Fe, www.peacocklaw.com/nmac/sdcas

At the website there is quite a bit of information on birding in the region. See the checklist for Santa Fe National Forest, and also write the secretary. In Santa Fe, contact the Randall Davey Audubon Center.

Subject: RE: BS: mountain bluebird question
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 13 Jan 08 - 05:15 PM

Sangre de Cristo Audubon

Subject: RE: BS: mountain bluebird question
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 13 Jan 08 - 11:24 PM

Feast your eyes on this, Q!

http://www.naturalkansas.org/gypsum1.htm

It's only a half-day drive from my house. It's far enough south to be warmer, as well.

Subject: RE: BS: mountain bluebird question
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 13 Jan 08 - 11:38 PM

Kansas? KANSAS? KANSAS? oh, no!


Sounds good. There are some fine spots in Oklahoma and Kansas, but Santa Fe was my growing up town.

Subject: RE: BS: mountain bluebird question
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 14 Jan 08 - 12:10 PM

Kansas, oh yes!

Someday [after I win the lottery] I am going to re-do the Wizard of Oz and do it right. In my version, Dorothy's trip from home to Oz will be a trip from the windswept cliffs of western Kansas to the green, green valleys of eastern Kansas.

Subject: RE: BS: mountain bluebird question
From: Rapparee
Date: 14 Jan 08 - 12:24 PM

They do here in Idaho, where it's the State Bird.

Subject: RE: BS: mountain bluebird question
From: Joe Offer
Date: 17 Aug 11 - 06:27 PM

We have Western Bluebirds around here, but it used to be rare to see them. I don't know what happened this year, but they're everywhere. They're not brilliant blue, but they are very pretty, a joy to see.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: BS: mountain bluebird question
From: bobad
Date: 17 Aug 11 - 06:36 PM

The western bluebird looks very much like the eastern.

Subject: RE: BS: mountain bluebird question
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 18 Aug 11 - 10:20 AM

I'm glad to hear the western bluebird is thriving where you are, Joe. I'm all in favor of native birds. (pigeons, starlings, English sparrows, not so much.)

The trip to Kansas linked above was great fun. We didn't see any bluebirds, however. We enjoyed riding down country roads and looking across a vast landscape of red and white hills dotted with green cedars. In many places there was not a building or a light to be seen anywhere.

We saw great blue herons, and we stopped at a crystal-clear creek and saw the bottle-shaped nests of swallows plastered to the side of the little bridge. Fascinating!

We stopped for dinner (corned beef and cabbage for St Patrick's Day) at a bar in the middle of nowhere. There was key lime pie for dessert.

Next month we are visiting the Canadian Rockies, and I'll look for mountain bluebirds, blue all year, on that trip.

Subject: RE: BS: mountain bluebird question
From: Beer
Date: 18 Aug 11 - 10:59 PM

That is good to hear Joe because i heard there was a major decline with the mountain specie. I'll try and find where i read it.
ad.