One morning this week I visited Conway Robinson State Forest in Prince William
County. An adult male Eastern Bluebird sang for several minutes from a high
snag in a tree.
This is noteworthy because why?
This particular State Forest is well named. It is a thick, full forest. Not a
completely mature canopy, but tall trees everywhere. There is no open space
anywhere - no fields, no meadows, you can hardly see the sky. The bluebird's
snag was smack in the middle of the trail area, several hundred yards (at
least) from any open space.
I can only guess that the general wisdom about bluebird habitat can have
exceptions; or else maybe somehow this adult was dealing with recent fledglings
who somehow had wound up moving into the forest from some (not very nearby)
open area.
Steve Johnson
Fairfax, VA
