The Bluebird of Happiness

Among the regular harbingers of spring is the return of the Baltimore orioles, the American robin and the eastern bluebird.  Around here the return of this triumvirate of songbirds occurs in reverse order.  And one of our favorites is the bluebird.  I don't want you to get the impression that it is only these three birds - as truth be told nothing on the planet can compare to the call of our brown thrashers. The male of the species has the largest song repertoire of any bird in North America.  And the Labs are relieved to learn that it is not they who are blamed any longer for digging in Jill's flower beds - it's the thrashers.  But I digress. 

The notion of the bluebird of happiness has its roots in French folklore and comes from the delightful feeling associated with the sighting of one of these birds with the faded rusty breast, white belly and blue back and tail. They're a flash of color in an otherwise brown and dreary springtime world. They’re fond of perching on the top of a post, tree or garden rake leaning on the fence and surveying their domain.  

WI.DNR.Gov

Meet Sialia sialis - the Eastern bluebird.  These are cavity-nesting birds and only a couple of generations ago their numbers were in serious decline in this country as a consequence of limited nesting habitat.  They’re more common nowadays because us people have mobilized in the face of that decline and assembled and installed nest boxes for them. Multiply that by hundreds of thousands of similarly-minded bird enthusiasts and you get the drift.  More cavities – more birds.   

Most of the time house wrens and tree sparrows nest in our boxes which is just fine.  They make for good tenants.  We also get our share of bluebirds too.  Last year a pair fledged two broods from the box out back of the house at the edge of the yard.  They’re back this year. 

And we’re about to become grandparents again.   

An interesting factoid about the eastern bluebird is that the young of the first brood assist in raising the young of the second brood.   

Good parenting the bluebird has.