Bluebirds in November

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Bluebirds in November

November 6, 2020 by Mike Powell

It is a bit of a cliché, but I have to admit that bluebirds really do make me feel happy. I was therefore absolutely delighted to spot a small flock of them flitting in and out of the vegetation on Wednesday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The rusty color on the breasts of these Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis) fit in well with the fall foliage palette.

These three images show different approaches I used in trying to capture images of these beautiful little birds. Sometimes I tried to take shots when the blue birds were almost imbedded in the vegetation; sometimes I tried to get an unobstructed angle with the natural landscape providing a visual backdrop for the bird; and sometimes I tried to isolate the bird and use an uncluttered background such as the sky in the final photo.

I am not sure that any of these three approaches is necessarily better than the others. Instead I personally like the visual variety that comes from using somewhat different approaches when shooting a subject. What do you think?

Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged bluebird, Canon 50D, Eastern Bluebird, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Sialia sialis, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA | 13 Comments

13 Responses

on November 6, 2020 at 8:40 am | Reply shoreacres

I do like the way the twigs form a frame around the bird in the first photo. Generally, I prefer a cleaner background, but in this case the first image appeals more than the third.
- on November 6, 2020 at 9:07 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks for sharing your thoughts, which reflect almost exactly my thinking. As you probably know, I generally lead with my favorite photo. I really like the feel of the first, to a large degree because I was able to get a pretty well focused shot of the bird’s head, so the fact that the tail is partially blocked doesn’t bother me at all.
on November 6, 2020 at 8:43 am | Reply Bren (Brashley Photography)

What beautiful birds… we don’t get to see them in this country even though Vera Lynn said they were over the white cliffs of Dover. 😀 😀 Great shots.
on November 6, 2020 at 11:39 am | Reply picpholio

For me the most atractive one is the last picture against de blue sky. The branch of the tree forms a natural surrounding. Some of the small twigs abouve, I would remove in PS. So far my feeling 😉
on November 6, 2020 at 1:39 pm | Reply Sri V

Beautifully captured 🙂
- on November 7, 2020 at 7:25 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks.
on November 6, 2020 at 8:41 pm | Reply kenneturner

Excellent shots!
- on November 7, 2020 at 7:19 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, kenne.
on November 6, 2020 at 9:45 pm | Reply Eliza Waters

Wonderful captures, Mike. I love seeing bluebirds, too, it’s their song that I love, alerting me that one or more are nearby.
- on November 7, 2020 at 7:19 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Eliza.
on November 7, 2020 at 2:24 am | Reply Sherry Felix

Blue birds make me happy too
- on November 7, 2020 at 7:19 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Sherry.
on November 10, 2020 at 5:04 pm | Reply Ellen Jennings

I agree with you that the variety is best, Mike. While it is nice to see the full bird out in the open with the blue sky background, I find the other images with the habitat more interesting. They are all beautiful images and any Bluebird will make me smile!