Phenology: Two Bluebirds

This week's phenology has been pretty typical. Weather: chilly; daytime highs just above and nighttime lows just below freezing; mostly cloudy, lots of cold drizzling rain. Plant life: dormant. Bird life: crows, sparrows, cardinals, chickadees, vultures. Nevertheless, on the way to the computer center I saw a pair of what some older people proudly claim as "Virginia bluebirds." The birds are widespread, and most birdwatchers don't assign them to any specific state.

Here's a web site specifically for people who love bluebirds:

http://www.sialis.org/

Naturally I don't think their opinions on cats are reasonable or reality-based. Bluebirds have coexisted with wild cats who were better climbers than your pet is, and with rats, raccoons, owls, and other predators that can also eat baby bluebirds more easily than house cats can, for hundreds of years. House pets aren't going to wipe out the species. However, if you want to watch a bluebird family growing up near your home, you should encourage them to nest more than eight feet above the ground (not a problem unless you have an especially inviting fence post), and also install a baffle (a flat piece of metal that your cat can't climb over) to keep cats from attacking the nest. A baffle will have no effect on owls and you'd be surprised what a raccoon can get over, but it will deflect cats...and potentially even lure rodents into a cat's reach.

More bluebird pictures at Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Bluebird

And the Cornell site, allaboutbirds:

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Bluebird/lifehistory

Here's a fun fact about bluebirds you may have missed: The blue color in blue birds' feathers is partly an effect of light. In bright sunlight, a bluebird's back can look bright as the sunny sky. In cloudy weather, the color will be a bluish grey. The male bluebird's coat is, however, consistently a bluer shade of grey than the female's.