I spotted this handsome Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge and surprisingly he was willing to pose for me—normally bluebirds fly off as soon as I move close to them with my camera.
We started off with a formal pose against a solid backdrop and then moved on to a more casual pose. We were both really happy with the final images—he plans to use them on his social media, especially Twitter.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Great Bluebird images Mike! Another of my favorite birds!
I especially like the heart formed by his feet! Nice touch!!!!
I didn’t even notice the heart until you mentioned it. It is pretty obvious in the second shot and I love it. Thanks for pointing it out to me (and to others).
Fantastic shots Mike!
Thanks, Brian.
I bet those will be the envy of his twitter pals … especially that heart as noticed by Sally
I so enjoyed these bluebird portraits, Mike. The colors and markings are wonderful here, and you were even able to capture the blue on the tail from the front perspective. I laughed at your joke, much appreciated.
Thanks, Jet. When I started writing the post this morning I wasn’t sure what I was going to say. I was in a playful mood, though, and somehow the ending sentence came to me as I was considering how to conclude the post. I am glad to see it elicited a laugh from you, Jet.
Both are beautiful portraits. The first one appeals because the stark background allows all focus to be on the bird and the sky accentuates the blue of the feathers. The second one appeals because the background creates a warmth that brings out the soft rust colour of the belly feathers. I think that plus the posture of the bird, that slight twist and the way the feet lean towards each other, I think makes this my preferred image of the two.
My thoughts are quite similar to yours, Laura. I suspect that most folks will like the first one a bit more, but I too have a slight preference for the second one with its blurred background and somewhat more interesting pose.
Ditto again to delight with feet in 2nd shot – quite the catch! Enjoyed your suggestion of birds on social media.
The heart’s a special touch to a lovely photo. Very nice Mike!
Thanks, Liz. I can’t believe that I didn’t notice the heart initially myself. 🙂
He’s beautiful! I love how detailed the shot is, showing every feather.
Thanks, Eliza. I was fortunate to be able to get relatively close to the bluebird, which allowed me to capture a pretty good amount of detail (plus the lighting was good, which helped as well).
You’re developing into the bird whisperer. It’s so cool that you and your subjects are able to be so comfortable with each other. Good on ya, mate.
Thanks, Gary. I try to be slow and stealthy in approaching birds, but it is a bit of a hit-and-miss proposition. The challenge of photographing live subjects like birds and dragonflies keeps me coming back again and again.
Gorgeous captures, Mike, with wonderful details including the feet! And how fun to see a Bluebird hold still for more than a second.
Thanks, Ellen. Sometimes it happens, though most often the bluebirds I see are super skittish.
Here, too. I see them throughout our neighborhood when I’m on my exercise walk and they are always zipping away.
These are beautiful!
Thanks, Jo. Bluebirds are one of my favorites–they truly do make me happy.