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SW of Calgary
backroad
Alberta
Canada
avian
ornithology
bird
birds
nature
Bluebird
Mountain Bluebird
close-up
male
fence
barbed-wire


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Bluebird of happiness

Bluebird of happiness
This little male Mountain Bluebird was perched in the sunlight, fairly close to their nest box. Photographed along one of the gravel backroads SW of Calgary, on 26 June 2013.

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...

www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/9531670766

Petar Bojić, , , and 7 other people have particularly liked this photo


6 comments - The latest ones
 Treasa Ui Cionaodha
Treasa Ui Cionaodha
Seen in
www.ipernity.com/group/nous.-nature
Beautiful capture here Well done Anne.Regards Tess.
10 years ago.
 LeapFrog
LeapFrog
Superb feather details Anne and they do have such lovely colours (refracted by the light) ... great pose and an outstanding shot ... I will assume this is a juvie ... and if this did not have the tinges of "blue" on its chest, it would look closely to the immature Female ...
10 years ago.
Anne Elliott club has replied to LeapFrog
Thanks, Art! No, this was an adult male, but his fluffed up feathers allowed the pale underneath colour to show. He was a busy guy, bringing back catepillars and flying insects for his nest box full of babies : )
10 years ago.
 Ken Dies
Ken Dies
I have seen this photo before, it is so gorgeous how can I forget. Another one of your magnificent bird photos.
10 years ago.
Anne Elliott club has replied to Ken Dies
Lol, Ken, when I had finished editing this photo, I discovered that I had posted a similar one quite a while ago. Too late at night to search for something else, so decided to post it anyway - and I think it is better than the other one.
10 years ago.
 LeapFrog
LeapFrog
Well Done!!
Seen in

Leap's Photo
Pond!!
10 years ago.

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