I first heard the expression "bluebird day" on a ski trip, when a ski resort wanted to advertise a picture perfect day of fresh powder snow with clear, sunny skies. But I was reminded of the term in another way when I encountered a new blue-colored bird for the very first time.
The lazuli bunting is a member of the cardinal family, but is not the bluest of these birds. Its cousin the blue grosbeak takes that prize in Arizona, even though he's not named after the lapis lazuli, a semi-precious gemstone.
Any first time sighting of a bird is always an exhilarating moment, especially when you've targeted him on your outing. I had heard this bunting was in the area from Jay's Bird Barn, the local seed store, so I made a point to be on the lookout during a Sunday morning outing. I quickly saw him in the grasses and reeds growing in the mostly dry Willow Creek near my Prescott neighborhood, and managed a few distant but grainy shots.
A couple hours later I noticed a pair - both a male and a female - in my front yard, only a couple dozen feet away from my seed feeder. I'm not sure if this couple will breed in the area or they will travel farther north to even higher and cooler climates. However, I am certain that they've migrated from their winter range in tropical Mexico.
The blue grosbeaks and other cardinals like the black-headed grosbeak come from just as far away and do in fact all build nests during the summer in Prescott. Meanwhile the actual western bluebird - not a cardinal - lives in the area year-round. Whether these lazuli buntings stay or go, my precious first adventure with them created a gem of a day.
The lazuli bunting is a member of the cardinal family, but is not the bluest of these birds. Its cousin the blue grosbeak takes that prize in Arizona, even though he's not named after the lapis lazuli, a semi-precious gemstone.
Any first time sighting of a bird is always an exhilarating moment, especially when you've targeted him on your outing. I had heard this bunting was in the area from Jay's Bird Barn, the local seed store, so I made a point to be on the lookout during a Sunday morning outing. I quickly saw him in the grasses and reeds growing in the mostly dry Willow Creek near my Prescott neighborhood, and managed a few distant but grainy shots.
A couple hours later I noticed a pair - both a male and a female - in my front yard, only a couple dozen feet away from my seed feeder. I'm not sure if this couple will breed in the area or they will travel farther north to even higher and cooler climates. However, I am certain that they've migrated from their winter range in tropical Mexico.
The blue grosbeaks and other cardinals like the black-headed grosbeak come from just as far away and do in fact all build nests during the summer in Prescott. Meanwhile the actual western bluebird - not a cardinal - lives in the area year-round. Whether these lazuli buntings stay or go, my precious first adventure with them created a gem of a day.
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| Male lazuli bunting along Willow Creek in Prescott. |
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| Male lazuli bunting along Willow Creek in Prescott. |
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| Male lazuli bunting along Willow Creek in Prescott. |
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| Male lazuli bunting in my Prescott neighborhood. |
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| Female lazuli bunting in my Prescott neighborhood. |
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| Female lazuli bunting in my Prescott yard. |
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| A bluer cardinal, the blue grosbeak, in Prescott's Watson's Woods. |
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| The western bluebird in my Prescott neighborhood. |
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| The western bluebird in my Prescott neighborhood on a bluebird day. |
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