The Bluebird of Happiness

It was a beautiful, mild, springlike morning. It seemed March had decided to come in like a lamb. And so I stopped by Millbrook Marsh, hoping to catch some shots of the red-winged blackbirds that I just KNEW were out and about by now. And I did indeed see a few of those; not a lot, just a few.

But just as I was getting ready to leave the marsh, I encountered a possibly even more exciting pair of visitors: two little bluebirds who came and sat on a wire overhead and sang to me happy songs about springtime and hope.

I only got pictures of the first bird, a male. The second bird was a bit too quick for me, and it was not nearly as brightly colored as this one - I suspect it may have been a female. The first bird arrived and sat looking quite friendly, turning this way and that, very obligingly posing for photos. I managed to get 10 shots off in the 27 seconds it shared with me. You may learn more about this bird, and hear its song, at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website.

The front view of the Eastern bluebird is the main shot, but please be sure to check out the extra photo to enjoy a view of the little bluebird from behind. I hardly ever say this, but I'm saying it now: photos can hardly do justice to the pure, jewel-like, shining, BLUEness of this tiny little bird!

The song to accompany the photos of this marvelous little bird is, quite fittingly, Leonard Cohen's Bird on a Wire. It has been performed by just about everybody, and here are a few of my favorites: a young Leonard Cohen, an older Leonard Cohen, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Tim Hardin, David Soul (yes, the blonde actor from Starsky and Hutch), and Jennifer Warnes (whose album of Cohen covers is called Famous Blue Raincoat, and it is fabulous, through and through; Joan of Arc is a special favorite). My two current favorites? Hardin and Warnes: Warnes jazzes it up a bit and makes me want to sway along; Hardin will break your heart (you've been warned).