Mountain Bluebird, Image by Elaine R. Wilson – NaturesPicsOnline
One of the pleasures of walking through the Sierra nevada is the wildlife. (In an earlier post I described my Ten Best Wildlife Sightings.) Bird sightings are a subset of creature encounters, but – at least for me – they are a real highlight. If you read the blog often, you know the The Five Most Frequently Seen Birds on the John Muir Trail, and you know a little about the Clark’s Nutcracker (One Smart Bird: The Clark’s Nutcracker).
Remarkably, I have only seen one mountain bluebird in all my years of wandering through the Sierra. That sighting was in Crabtree Meadow about ten years ago. There are tons of Steller’s jays around – you will see those almost daily – but the mountain bluebird is a slightly deeper and purer blue, and really stands out.
(By the way, the Steller’s jay does not have blue feathers. They look blue because of the structure of the feathers, which distort the reflection of light off the bird, making it look blue.)
Anyway, if you happen to see one of these, count yourself lucky.
Good hiking, Ray
We saw a pair of bluebirds on our first hike on the JMT in September 2017, but I don’t remember where it was. We see them now and then in our home turf of the Cascades, so it did not seem like a remarkable event, just a pleasant one.
Agree on the pleasant part! Thanks, Carol.
Hi Ray,
Beautiful bird!! I live in Palomino Valley, north of Reno, and see them often in the warm summer weather. I see both males and females, love to see them!
John
Thanks for the comment, John. They are pretty neat.