28 October 2019

Bluebirds of North America

In yesterday's comments, several of us were writing about mammals and birds that live in North America but not in France (or Europe). Here's another one — the bluebird. There are three varieties of bluebirds in North America: the eastern, the western, and the mountain. I assume the ones in this slideshow (11 images, running time one minute) are western bluebirds, because my friend Sue took the photos near her house in the Sierra Foothills in California. Sue gave me the photos in June 2018, on her last visit to Saint-Aignan, and she gave me permission to publish them on the blog.



Bluebirds are members of the thrush family and the Sialia genus. The blackbird and the American robin are thrushes too. Blackbirds are merles in France, and the French name for the American bluebird is merlebleu. Wikipedia says that by the 1970s bluebird populations in the eastern U.S. had declined drastically, because of competition for food and nesting sites from two introduced birds, the house sparrow and the starling. Over the past 10 to 15 years, however, bluebird populations have started rising again.

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You might have noticed that I am now posting an hour or so later than I had been posting for the past couple of years. I'm trying to put myself on a new sleep schedule, so I don't get up at 4:45 or 5:00 every morning and go to bed so early in the evening. The end of heure d'été ("summer time" — in France we set the clocks back an hour over the weekend) — and my efforts to conquer jet lag have helped. I'm still not feeling any effects from jet lag, and I've slept for nine hours every night (four of them) since I got back to Saint-Aignan from North Carolina last Thursday.

12 comments:

  1. Yes, I noticed that you posted later than usual, but I thought it was due to jet lag recovery. I'm sure you'll be able eventually to change your sleep cycle, but it will take some time, I guess.

    Glad that the bluebird population in increasing. Hopefully the starling, (étourneau), population is decreasing! They're very aggressive.

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    1. I don't know about the starlings. They seem pretty hardy and prolific. My wintertime sleep cycle seems to be a success — so far.

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  2. Wonderful bluebird photos -- thanks Ken and Sue!
    Ken, I'm glad to hear that you are getting good sleep since your return. Woo hoo!

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    1. I slept for 8½ hours again last night. The heat is on this morning — it must be chilly outside.

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  3. Thanks to Walt's arising later to take out Tasha during your absence, her schedule is now adjusted also I assume.
    Sue's photos are wonderful. I had no idea there are Western bluebirds. We used to enjoy seeing them when we lived in Vermont.

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    1. One reason I enjoyed getting up at or before 5 a.m. was that Christiane Amanpour's evening show on CNN is re-run here in France at that hour. I enjoy her interviews and those done by the interviewers people on her show.

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  4. Beautiful bluebird photos, Sue! Our time changes next weekend and I'm ready for a change.

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  5. Loved the bluebird photos with her babies! Read in yesterday's comments that there are not hummingbirds in France. We have loads here, they are fun to watch at a feeder.

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    1. I remember watching the the hummingbirds on backyard feeders in San Francisco. There are also hummingbirds in North Carolina, at least in the western part of the state.

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  6. Sue is both talented and patient.

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    1. And generous, to give me permission to post some of her fine photos.

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