Bluebird, Home

The weather today was gray, hard, and cold, and while I managed to get in a walk anyway, there was very little of interest on the trail. Honestly, it was as if all of the woodlands critters knew something was coming... and went into hiding early. Back home at the suet feeder, however, animal life was in high gear, the local birds in particular. The woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees, and titmice were fattening up with something approaching gusto, but the commoners were soon joined by an unexpected species: a pair of Eastern Bluebirds. These brilliant—the males, in any event—birds are hardly rare on the ridge, but they prefer the nearby fields and rarely stop by the suet for a visit. With something like a storm coming, the Bluebirds overcame any reluctance to feed in mixed company and joined the feast. In the wake of yesterday's Christmas Tree Disaster, the visitors gave me a reason to stop singing the blues.