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Judy Burnett
F.O.R. San Bernard
Merchandise Committee
Beautiful
Blues ..........
“And when he sings to you,
Though you’re deep in blue,
You will see a ray of light creep
through…..
Life is sweet, tender and complete,
When you find the bluebird of happiness.”
(Words from the song “Bluebird of Happiness”
When I was in the third grade (many years
ago) I belonged to “The Bluebirds” which was
part of the Camp Fire Girl Organization.
Our uniform was a navy vest with a little
bluebird embroidered on the chest. I always
loved that little emblem for its bright blue
color. I would never see a real bluebird
flying around so for many years I thought
the little bluebird on my vest was not a
real bird after all. Of course I eventually
learned this not to be a fact but because I
grew up in the city, they were still elusive
to me.
Then, in the fall of 2003, I saw my first
real bluebird. Artie and I were sitting on
the upper deck watching the squirrels run
through the pecan trees when suddenly there
they were, the ever elusive bluebirds. It
was a cool, crisp, bright sunny day and
their bright, almost iridescent blue color
was breathtaking. The pecan trees had
already shed their leaves and we had a
“bird’s eye view” of those beautiful birds
flying from tree to tree. It immediately
brought back childhood memories of my
Bluebird vest. I ran to get my bird book and
learned that this species of bluebird that
we see here on the river is the Eastern
Bluebird. Recently I was in the backyard and
there they were again. The sun was shining
and that ever so beautiful blue was a site
to behold. I have been watching a group of
three that seem to always be together and
have learned that Eastern Bluebirds can
successfully produce more than one brood a
year. Young produced in early nests usually
leave the parents in summer but young from
later nests frequently stay with their
parents over winter. So I guess I have been
observing a bluebird family.
The male is very bright blue on the head,
wings and tail with a rusty throat and
breast, a white belly and under tail and can
grow up to 7” long. The female is similar
but duller in color. Their habitat is open
woodlands, farmlands, orchards fields, along
roadsides on utility wires and fences. The
female lays 4-6 pale blue eggs in a loose
cup of grasses and plant stems in a natural
tree cavity, old woodpecker hole, fence post
or bird box. Their call is a musical "turee"
or "queedle", and their song is a soft
melodious warble. They breed east of the
Rockies from Southeast Canada to the Gulf of
Mexico and winter in the southern portion of
their breeding range. Their diet consists of
insects, earthworms and snails but
especially berries which they are very
dependent on in the winter. There is a lot
of wild holly in the wooded areas around us
so I know they can survive here.
Bluebirds suffered a major decline from the
1920’s to the 1980’s so maybe that explains
why I had never seen one until we bought our
house on the river. But they have been
making a comeback after bluebird
conservation began in the 70’s.
To attract more bluebirds, erecting bluebird
boxes in early spring is your best bet.
There is a lot of
information on Bluebird websites that show
you how to build a nesting box and where to
place them. In fact, you can make a Bluebird
trail by placing numerous boxes along a
fence line as they only need to be 5-10 ft.
off the ground. Some of the more wooded
areas along the San Bernard would be a
perfect habitat for the Bluebirds.
Because of their beauty and cheerful song,
Bluebirds have come to symbolize happiness,
love and renewed hope.
 I
think the Eastern Bluebird is my new
"favorite bird to watch".
Judy Burnett
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