Irish essayist Rober Lynd wrote, “In order to see birds it is necessary to become part of the silence.”
I remember vividly the first time I saw a Mountain Bluebird, flashing his cerulean feathers as he swooped down over the rooftop on our new home in Edgewood. Barren, brown dirt and not a tree one, I wondered if our new home site held any appeal at all to him. We landscaped, fenced and planted trees and bushes, including golden currents and other fruiting bushes that might provide nourishment to birds. A bluebird house went up, made just so, with the right sized hole to attract mountain bluebirds. A birdbath, to provide water, and open space surrounding the box, in the form of a small lawn, and the setting was complete. All we needed was a pair of nesting bluebirds!
They did not disappoint. In no time at all, a beautiful male bluebird had selected our box, offered it to his mate, who graciously accepted it, and they began the task of raising their family.
Throughout the years we have had the pleasure and privilege of housing many bluebird families, both Westerns and Mountain Bluebirds, whose ranges overlap in this area. As we have watched and learned, our amazement grew at their incredible aerial abilities, dedication to raising their families, acceptance of humans in their territory, and not least of all, their stunning beauty.
To hear and thrill to their pleasant warble of “Chee-do” as they fly overhead, keeping their family together, is to know that the spring time of your life has not yet passed.
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