My Cottage Bluebirds

I put these photos on Instagram yesterday. My bluebirds were extremely cooperative and posed nicely for me many times during the day. They never fail to thrill me either. Isn't that blue wonderful? See you later! xo

Winter Bluebirds

via

I definitely have winter bluebirds but I can't recall ever seeing them in the snow. Isn't this a great photograph?!

Baby Birds and Spring Blossoms

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There's nothing sweeter, is there?

I have house wrens nesting in one of my Williamsburg bird bottles on the back of the house and blue birds nesting in the blue bird box. I love the chitter chatter of the wrens. The bluebirds are very quiet. I planted two limelight hydrangea a few days ago, one in the back and one in the front. If they are half as good as they are supposed to be, I'll be happy. I got a big pot at a local garden center for a good price and when I got it home, it turned out to be two plants growing very close together. I was thrilled I was able to separate them. Read about this variety here.

Bluebirds are Back at My Cottage Again

It rained all day yesterday and most of the night so all of my bird baths are full. Today the bluebirds can drink and pose for me. I love the mirror image and the blue sky reflecting in the water.
Click photos to enlarge.

My photos. Have a great weekend.

December Bluebirds at My Cottage

This photo is very grainy because I was so far away. I was thrilled when I looked out my kitchen window and saw quite a few bluebirds flying around the bluebird house. I grabbed my Nikon and clicked away but I forgot I had it on a manual setting. Anyway, here is the best photo cropped quite a bit for you to see.

The Daffodil Twins

Every year the daffodils of spring delight me in the woods and naturalized areas around my cottage. I photographed these twins with my iPhone this afternoon under overcast skies with no shadows.

"When I bought my farm, I did not know what a bargain I had in the bluebirds, daffodils and thrushes; as little did I know what sublime mornings and sunsets I was buying." 

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Bluebird on Watering Can

I adore this photo. I always look for old watering cans and they are all but impossible to find these days. Don't forget to bring yours inside for the winter or they will fill up with water and freeze which almost always results in a leak. I learned this the hard way. You know I love bluebirds too. Have a great day. via

Bluebird Convention

 

Thirsty bluebirds in winter by Danny Brown via Pixdaus

Blue Skies from My Window Today

The thermometer is dropping like a rock and the winds are howling. I can't complain because we've had a few warm days to melt a lot of the snow and ice in the gutters and all of my icicles have disappeared. Have you ever seen a more beautiful blue sky? I actually removed the screen from my bathroom window to snap this photo just a few minutes ago. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you that I've seen bluebirds flying around too but couldn't grab my camera fast enough. 

A Bluebird and A Double Rainbow

I've never been lucky enough to get a shot like this. You know I love bluebirds and have them here at the cottage. This has to be the ultimate happy photo of a bluebird and a double rainbow. I love it.

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Blue Bird House

All of my bird houses have all been vacated. The bluebirds usually come back in February to stake out their territory. Pretty soon it will be time for the migrating birds to fly south for the winter and time to hang the bird feeders for those that stay.

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Baby Bluebird Rescue At The Cottage

When I woke up this morning I looked outside my bedroom window and saw a blob that wasn't moving on the lawn near the Eastern Bluebird house. It looked like a baby bird and it was. The bluebird parents weren't at all upset and every once in a while they would fly down and shove something in its mouth. I was very concerned because it was almost time to let Webster out and this little bird clearly could not fly. I got my camera and a big stick. As I was shooting baby bluebird portraits the parents were dive bombing my head. Then I got my stick and tried to make this little one perch on it so I could put him back in the house. That did not work. So I picked him up and poked him back inside so he could tell his juvenile brothers and sisters about the outside world and the giant who helped him. I hope he stays inside until his little wings are stronger. All is well now. You know how much I love my bluebirds and I don't want to lose a single one. Here's hoping you have some excitement too this weekend. xo, Rosemary

My camera ~ Nikon D40 SLR

My lens ~ Nikon 18-200 zoom lens with VR
(Macro at any focal length)

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Tiny Bath Under The Stairs

I love everything about this tiny bath tucked under the stairs. I'd love to have a window over my sink instead of a mirror. I usually walk over to the window to look outside while I'm brushing my teeth. It much more interesting than my reflection and oftentimes I see bluebirds.




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Bluebirds On Mother's Day

Look to your right and you'll see the female bluebird on the garage roof (click photo to enlarge). I didn't even see her while I was snapping away at the colorful male with my trusty Nikon SLR this morning. The males get all the glory in spite of the fact that it's Mother's Day and the nest is full of eggs in the house these two occupy near the big tree. Guess he decided to give her a short break. Can bluebird babies be far behind? I used my Nikon D40 digital SLR with a Nikon 18-200 zoom lens. 

Bluebird On The Roof

Even though I have a birdhouse full of bluebirds right outside my window, I never fail to be thrilled when I see one. I can see this portion of my garage roof very clearly from my attic studio. This is fresh off the press. News Alert ~ Blubird sighting.




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Three Nice Porches

Which one do you like best? Porch season is here. It's drizzling rain at my house today but there's a little chill in the air so I'll have to choose the first one because it's glassed in. When it gets hotter I'll move to the second one. The third is a nice place to sit and watch the world go by since it looks out on the front. I'll sip my morning coffee there and watch the bluebirds fly around catching insects to feed their babies.




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Friday Bluebird Fix

There is a lot of activity in all the holes of this birdhouse with bluebirds building nests in each compartment. I never knew they liked communal living but I guess I was wrong. I snapped this photo from my attic studio. The second pic was cropped from the first to show you the bird up close. I never get over the thrill of seeing such beautiful plumage. They really are the birds of happiness. I hope you have a happy day too.

UPDATE: I just added the third photo. Look closely and you'll see the female taking nest-building material into the hole. The male just hangs around looking beautiful or perches on top of the house acting as the lookout.

I currently use Adobe Photoshop Elements for all my photo editing.

Bluebird At The Cottage

Have I missed my window of opportunity to take this birdhouse down, clean it out and repaint? The bluebirds have already been going in and out of each compartment to stake out their nesting places. It really looks awful. I might be able to clean it in place with some warm water and a brush. I took this photo last weekend.

I took this photo in January. I wonder if it's the same bird that's perched on top of the birdhouse? It's sunny, cool, and very windy today so things should dry out from all the rain we've had. Happy Friday.




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