Hola,
Has anyone else obtained better photographs of the bluebird in the
Glenmoore area of Albemarle County?
Of the images I have seen (all of them were Tim Hodge's, a link was posted
here, and copied below), I can see nothing that rules out a hatching-year
Eastern Bluebird. The last photo that Tim posted was the clearest, and
shows the yellow remnants on the gape of a bird hatched recently. Tim also
noted that the bird was paired up with an Eastern Bluebird. Clearly this
isn't an adult Mountain Bluebird paired with an Eastern.
A young bird hanging around with an Eastern Bluebird, especially if that is
an adult Eastern Bluebird, is very likely a young Eastern. I have three
broods per year of Eastern Bluebirds in my yard, and the kids hang with an
adult for a couple weeks after fledging. Certainly the closer they are to
having left the nest they appear more spotted than this image captures, but
this morning I studied the young from the last brood, and they look
remarkably like the bird Tim photographed as the spotting has faded. A dull
blue-gray with bolder blue flight-feathers and coverts showing on the folded
wings. And a bit of yellow around the gape.
Link to Tim's images:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tanagerh/sets/72157627264465310/
Best,
Todd
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Todd Michael Day
Jeffersonton, Virginia
Culpeper County
blkvulture@xxxxxxx
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