Mid-winter Bluebirds

Sunday this week was mild and sunny. The unrelenting winds of January had softened. I started walking up Gaffield Avenue into Halibut Point State Park with high hopes that the bird life would be more in evidence than recently, but things seemed  disappointingly quiet. Then from high to the rear came a series of sweet warbling songs that sounded like spring.

Perched over Gaffield Ave.

I turned around to notice a couple of birds that hadn't been there a moment ago, silhouetted against the low-angled sun. Even in the solar glare they were obviously Bluebirds. I took a few pictures. They allowed me to cross underneath them to photograph them from an angle that favored their brilliant plumage. Needless to say, this was a joyful turn of events.

Female Bluebird on a snowy branch

It was a delightful but not surprising encounter. Overwintering Bluebirds, once a rarity in Massachusetts, have become more common year-round residents. 

Male (above) and female foraging on Sumac berries

They've adapted to a winter diet of shrubby fruits rather than the insects we see them pursue in other seasons.

Eating Multiflora Rose hips

Not all botanists, ecologists, and gardeners are on good terms with these plants but the Bluebirds are glad for the sustenance.

Possibly some of the nesting boxes around Halibut Point will provide shelter for the Bluebirds, which are known to sleep together sharing body heat.

Vivid colors on a drab day

Those of us who join these birds on the fringes of meadowy terrain at Halibut Point are grateful for their adaptations and tenacity, as well as the commitment of the State Department of Conservation and Recreation to preserving varied habitat.