Such good parents

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Later: thought I would add a link here, to a video about two local friends (Don and Andrew Stiles, father and son) who have spent many years building bluebird boxes and monitoring Mountain Bluebirds. Inspiring to see the dedication these two men have for the preservation of this beautiful species of bird.

calgary.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=678225&binId=1.120191...

Yesterday evening, 18 June 2016, I went for a short drive SW of the city. I had pulled over on the other side of the road and managed to get just three shots of a beautiful Wilson's Snipe, when a car came along in the opposite direction. The lady slowed down and asked if I was a birdwatcher. She told me that she had just passed an enormous Bald Eagle - bigger than any she had ever seen - perched on a fence post. Well, of course the Snipe flew off and I definitely wasn't expecting a Bald Eagle to still be sitting where it had been seen. I thanked the thoughtful lady and continued my drive, eventually spotting 'something' big in the distance. I couldn't believe it when I saw it was the Eagle. Expecting it to take off as soon as it saw my car, it surprised me by remaining right where it was. Wrong side of the road and with its back to me, I was in awe! Not sure if I've ever seen a Bald Eagle perched on a fence post before or this close (at least when zoomed in).

I was even more grateful to have seen this majestic bird of prey when I went to check on a nearby Mountain Bluebird pair and there was nothing to be seen. I then stopped at a different pair and, though I did see the female high up on the wire, there was no activity at all. When I eventually reached a third box - where I had recently photographed the male with a beautiful moth in its beak - I saw a Tree Swallow's face peeping out of the hole. When I was there two days ago, I just knew that the babies were going to fledge any moment and I was so disappointed that I wasn't able to visit them in the last two days.

After driving further to see if I could see either of the Great Gray Owls or the Bobolinks, I was out of luck with both. This made the Bald Eagle sighting more special than ever! Then, driving down a road that I don't normally drive, I spotted a 'new' pair of Mountain Bluebirds (seen in this photo). Both Mom and Dad were kept so busy, collecting caterpillars and other insects to feed to their babies. These were definitely 'Bluebirds of Happiness' yesterday evening, However, soon, the grey sky and low light finally took a toll on my camera or, should I say, my knowledge of how to use it? It was time to call it quits and head for home.

In Bluebirds, the blue colour is produced by the structure of the feather - there is no blue pigment. "Tiny air pockets in the barbs of feathers can scatter incoming light, resulting in a specific, non-iridescent color. Blue colors in feathers are almost always produced in this manner. Examples include the blue feathers of Bluebirds, Indigo Buntings, Blue Jay's and Steller's Jays."

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mountain_Bluebird/id

www.jstor.org/discover/pgs/index?id=10.2307/4077277&i...