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Welcome to the Pine River Review. Our sight is dedicated to our little homestead located along the Pine River tucked inside the Chippewa Nature Center's 1400 Acres of wild in Michigan's lower penninsula. We love to share our pictures, video, comment, and our own homespun music. Step inside our world as we celebrate this beautiful nook!


Monday, January 21, 2013

I'm a Bluebird



I hit the bird lottery this week when a flock of Bluebirds visited my yard. They were feeding on the chokecherries incorporated into leafy arrangements of pine branches and sticks nestled in the big ceramic flower pots that sit on our deck by the river. The Bluebirds stuck around the general area for a couple of days before abruptly disappearing into a snow squall.   



For the most part conditions were dark and I had to push my camera to it's limit. Fortunately, the objects of my affection tended to hold steady and I tried as best I could to settle my jittery hands.




A week later I am still craning my neck hoping my blue and cinnamon friends will return to the branches of the oak tree where they staged their forays into the berry laden twigs.



     We who live in traditional Bluebird territories have a responsibility to provide suitable housing for these beauties as they compete with more aggressive starlings and sparrows for nesting opportunities. Bluebird resurgence is a credit to human intervention.
     Sometimes it's a simple choice, to have or have not. 






    Consider the next four shots as you would a short movie. I think they tell a story and... I will resist the urge to caption them.

























I'm a Bluebird!

 

Sir Paul McCartney's wonderful "Bluebird," take a listen.

38 comments:

  1. Occasionally...uh, I mean rarely, we get the western variety visiting our yard. That header photo is stunning. Nice to see your post Springman. Hope you are enjoying retired life. It's the greatest.

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  2. Those little bluebirds in the snow are amazing. I've only seen them once.

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  3. Wonderful look into the life of your bluebirds! The color is amazing!! All my bluebird houses need to be redone this encourages me to get busy and do that!!

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  4. Oh. My. Gosh. These are absolutely incredible in every way. I have never seen one of these here, but I'm going to find out if the migrate or winter in my area. I'm completely smitten!

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  5. what wonderful images! i couldn't choose a favorite...very nice work!

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  6. Love the Bluebirds, great set of pics.

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  7. Hi Springman, good to hear from you again. I live on a lake so I don't have Blue Birds close by ... they prefer open area's. But on occasion, I see them in the forest preserves. All of our Forest Preserves and State Parks put out Blue Bird houses and they are always occupied, but not always by Blue Birds. I often see Tree Swallows in them. But, you are right, there has been a resurgence of them in our state and neighboring states because of the concerted efforts of people who care ... it's a wonderful thing. Great, Great Pictures ...

    Andrea @ From The Sol

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  8. Nice to see you on the linky list today. :)
    Wonderful series of images!
    I LOVE that one of the wings spread ready for takeoff. What a great capture!

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  9. love these little guys. love these shots, too.

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  10. Absolutely wonderful! I've never seen this bird.
    Greetings Pia

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  11. Wow! I won't see ant bluebirds until spring so I'm a tad jealous!

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  12. Beautiful birds and a great series of photos.

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  13. My favorite bird! I love the pretty bluebirds. Awesome captures, Springman!

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  14. Wonderful series!

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  15. These are without reservation the best Bluebird shots I've seen. Hands down. Yah, they're that good.

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  16. I just put up a bluebird box yesterday,well,my friend,Danny did.Over the years I put up many,but none has ever suited them.They check them out,then leave .So,I hope maybe this year...since it is a new box ,& no mice or other birds have been in it.I really like all of your pictures,but especially the last one!phyllis

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  17. A thousand Thank You's for stopping by and seeing the Bluebirds, your complements are appreciated and humbly accepted!
    I wish every Bluebird house was occupied, but that is not the case. I know mine have struck out to often, however the overall effort is producing great results. You can up your chances by planting Bluebird friendly bushes and trees in your natural spaces. This will not guarantee a nesting but frequent visitations by these and other fruit eating birds are equally exciting. Check this sight out for an excellent list of native species that will turn your yard into a Bluebird friendly sanctuary.
    http://www.michiganbluebirds.org/planting-for-bluebirds

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  18. These are beautiful photos! I haven't seen a bluebird in a long, long time. I think the House Sparrows are having a negative effect on them. What a great opportunity you had! Thanks for stopping by my blog! I appreciate it!

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  19. David, stunning images! I once saw a Bluebird, when I was a boy. Haven't since! Though we have Mountain Bluebirds, still have it on my must see list!

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  20. These are really nice images. Nice work! These guys are even more gorgeous against a backdrop of snow.

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  21. That is some great yardbird! And the shots (and held in the dark or not) are great too!

    Cheers and thanks for linking to the second generation WBW!

    Stewart M - Melbourne

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  22. What exceptionally, exquisite Bluebird images. Each one could make the most amazing greeting cards. If you ever sell them, let me know...I want a few;')

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  23. Dear Sir Springman... it's been a little while, and I can see you haven't been slacking... love, love, love your bluebirds of happiness. To warm our chilly winter hearts. Thanks for that.

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  24. You DID hit the lottery. That last photo in particular yells, "I'm blue and I'm proud!"

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  25. I don't recall ever seeing a nicer collection of Blue Bird photographs. I have never seen one here where I live in spite of the fact that my backyard, small as it is, was turned over to wildlife almost 50 years ago. I have over 5,000 hawk photos and they come because of the other birds that come here to eat at the feeders but never a blue bird.

    > http://birdsbirdsbirdsandbirds.blogspot.com/

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  26. These are amazing photos! I'm glad that bluebird populations are starting to rebound, but we only have them in scattered pockets here in NE.

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  27. What a fantastic group of photos! Those bluebirds certainly came to the right place to give us all some enjoyment. Thank you. I love your prose.

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  28. Totally wowed over your photos - glad I dropped in..

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  29. Przepiękna galeria zdjęc ,jest czym oczy nacieszyć .Pozdrawiam

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  30. These are some of the most awesome shots of bluebirds I have ever seen!

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  31. Rose sent me your URL to check out your bluebirds. I love our Bluebirds and we have them year-round. We feed them mealworms and have nest boxes for them. They are special birds…. Love your photos… Marvelous!!!!! That last one made me laugh. What ATTITUDE!!!!! ha

    Hugs,
    Betsy --from Tennessee

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  32. Hey Springman your being missed fella...... used to love dropping my onto your blog. I hope you get the urge to start up again, all the very best Dave

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  33. Such amazing captures of the bluebirds! Have a great day!

    Shantana

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