By Sally Siko

With so many flying around central NC, it’s admittedly easy to overlook an Eastern Bluebird when out on the hunt for something rare. That’s a shame though because these little feathered gems are just gorgeous!
Bluebirds are a staple of our suburban yards, fields and countryside and they are well worth stopping to admire for a few minutes if the opportunity presents itself.

A Bluebird perched on a fence line certainly stands out against the greys, greens and brown hues of their preferred habitats.
But, did you know that in some years their plumage appears brighter than others?
The reason for this is in their responses to weather. In fact, an Eastern Bluebird’s plumage patterns are correlated with the vibrancy of leaf pigments in autumn, and they share the same biological causes.

In the same way that an abundance of sun, rainfall, and frost-less nights bring on the most vibrant autumn leaf colors, these favorable conditions also lead to a plethora of insects and natural forest foods.
Bluebirds feast during harvest season to build the stores of energy that will carry them through the winter—and also to enrich their bodies with nutrients for building strong and healthy feathers.
So while leaves are not directly related to this late-season molt, they coincidentally are a great indicator of the amount of food available to birds from year to year.
Because bluebirds rely on insects as a main source of nourishment, years that have favorable conditions mean lots of available, nutrient-rich food. In short, more bugs can equal more colorful birds.

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my beloved full frame 50MP beast, the mighty @canonusa #5Ds