Bluebirds make me happy. There is something about their beautiful colors and energetic personalities that never fails to put a smile on my face. I spotted these beautiful little Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis) on 3 November at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Northern Virginia.
Bluebirds often perch in a tangle of branches or really high in the trees, so I was happy on this occasion to get some relatively unobstructed shots of them.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
All three photos are lovely but I do so love the first one!
Thanks, Liz. That first image happens to be my favorite too. I like the way that the angle of the bird is opposite to that of the tree branch and the way that there is a hint of red in parts of the tree that is an almost perfect match for the color of the bird’s breast.
Yes, I just took another look and enjoyed your observations – I see what you mean. Thank you!
It reminds me of a quote that was featured recently on a blog and is attributed to Dorothea Lang–The camera is an instrument for learning how to see without a camera. That is definitely true for me and I find myself looking much more closely at my surroundings than before I became so involved in photography.
I really like the second image – for the unobstructed view of his profile, and clarity of the eye — who doesn’t like that Bluebird of Happiness, right?
Thanks, Carol. I think that it is an almost universal feeling.
These are really beautiful photos of a beautiful bird on a beautiful day!! Although the Eastern Bluebird is the state bird of New York (and I lived in NY my whole life until five years ago) I rarely saw them except a distance, hovering around the nesting boxes placed out for them at the environmental center near our home.
Thanks. I don’t know why, but I have seen more bluebirds than ever before this year in a number of different locations.
Lucky you!