Bluebird bling

What a SAD, SAD day! If you are familiar with Anthony Bourdain, chef, traveller, explorer, a man who got on well with anyone, anywhere, no matter who they were, or where they come from, this is a very sad day, hearing of his death, from suicide. I have watched his TV shows for a long time, enjoying seeing him interact with local people in all sorts of exotic or unusual places, that most people would never dream of visiting. A real people person. I have always loved the way he reminds us, with such ease, that people are the same everywhere on this planet. I remember last year, two of his shows covered Trinidad & Tobago (which I had just visited) and Oman (where I had lived for 6 years). He had overcome so many struggles through his life and had become very successful in what he loved to do. Unfortunately, deep demons had obviously not left him completely, as, at the age of 61, he committed suicide while filming in France. So sad for the world to lose such a unique, kind man, and unbearably sad for his young daughter and his family and friends.

www.cnn.com/2018/06/08/us/anthony-bourdain-obit/index.html

www.eater.com/2017/6/11/15771544/anthony-bourdain-oman-pa...

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Last night, 7 June 2018, I added seven extra photos from our Pt Pelee trip, to get them into my albums. All the photos are from the afternoon of our very first day at Pt Pelee. I am trying to post more or less in the order that the photos were taken, and unfortunately, there are so many odds and ends that I want to keep just for the record. I promise that, later on, I will have photos of some very different things - thank goodness. I did not have much success with seeing and photographing all the tiny, very fast-moving Warblers at Pt Pelee, so I wanted to post the poor photos that I did get, at night, when most people are off Flickr. If anyone does happen to see them, please do let me know if I have given a wrong ID for any bird or plant.

A friend had invited me to go with her yesterday, 7 June 2018, to have lunch at the Delta Hotel in Kananaskis Village, and it felt good to breathe the mountain air. Of course, when I do go on a rare trip to the mountains, I go in search of birds, wildflowers, scenery - anything beautiful - so this outing was different and something I would never do myself. We both had to admit afterwards that the food was not good at all and the price was way beyond what was deserved. While typing these words, I suddenly remembered that I had read several reviews online before we went and they had said exactly the same thing. The staff were very pleasant and helpful, I should add.

On the way home, I decided to drive back via my 'usual' area, to see if any of the Mountain Bluebirds and other species were out and about. Most did not disappoint. I have been following this handsome male, wearing the unusually high number of bands, for a few years now. Each colour was used for a different reason during someone's study of the bird's behaviour.

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...

"A female Mountain Bluebird pays more attention to good nest sites than to attractive males. She chooses her mate solely on the basis of the location and quality of the nesting cavity he offers her—disregarding his attributes as a singer, a flier, or a looker.

A male Mountain Bluebird frequently feeds his mate while she is incubating and brooding. As the male approaches with food, the female may beg fledgling-style—with open beak, quivering wings, and begging calls. More often, she waits until her mate perches nearby, then silently flicks the wing farthest from him—a signal that usually sends him off to find her a snack.

The oldest recorded Mountain Bluebird was a female, and at least 9 years old when she was recaptured and rereleased during banding operations in Alberta in 2005. She had been banded in the same province in 1997." From AllAboutBirds.

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mountain_Bluebird/