Blue is a color which has connotations and implications, usually negative or depressing. People feeling depressed or out-of-sorts are said to have the blues.
Blues singers always have a sad song about love lost or some other gloomy situation beyond the control of the person suffering through the unhappiness and indignities. With no hope for a positive outcome, the subject of the disheartening reframes ends up emotionally broken.
On a slightly more positive perspective, blue is the tone which has cool or cold implication. The opposite of red hot, turning blue denotes an uncomfortably low temperature.
However, not all situations associated with this color result in displeasure or freezing. The panhandle’s Bluebirds have a worldwide reputation for being harbingers of joy and good fortune.
Male bluebirds are always on the hunt for a quick meal. Their blue plumage provides a stark contrast to the green background of summer.
The Eastern Bluebird is the local species which is in residence year around. Sailia sailis, as it is known to ornithologists and birdwatchers, is in the thrush (Turdidae) family.
A small bird, weighing barely more than an ounce, it has a seven-inch wingspan. It more than compensates for its size with its bright blue plumage. The males are much more distinctively toned than the females or the immature chicks.
Found statewide, its preferred environment has ample hardwood and pine trees which can offer nesting sites. Tree hollows provide an ideal nesting location for the spring mating season.
The March to June mating season is just ending and the last of the juveniles are currently fledging. Two, sometimes three, clutches of eggs are raised during the spring and early summer.
Three to five pale blue eggs comprise each family of chicks. It takes both parents to feed the fast-maturing hatchlings.
Insects, be it grasshoppers, caterpillars or any other hapless bugs, are the meal of choice during the season of renewal. Spring is also the time when these technicolored avians are most vocal with a pleasant, cheery call.
During the 20th century musicians and composers have used these inspiring tones for the basis of popular songs. Curiously, many of these tunes were authored during challenging times like the great depression and World War II.
In the United States Walt Disney, Shirly Temple, the Wizard of Oz and others used the analogy of this cheerful bird to entertain audiences across the country. Entertainers in other nations under severe distress continued the trend by using this species as a messenger of better days to come.
In the United Kingdom, at the time under attack from Nazi Germany, a musical hit was “There’ll be bluebirds over the white cliffs of Dover.” Bluebirds are not native to that country but were evidently appreciated.
While somewhat territorial, bluebirds are sometimes seen in flocks of 100 or more. Their predation on the insect population will continue throughout the summer and into the autumn.
When the insects make their seasonal retreat into diapause, the bluebirds will sustain themselves on dried seeds and berries. Existing beautyberries which have remained on the plants and yaupon which emerge in the early spring are two examples of available sustenance.
Interestingly, the bluebird population may be larger in winter than in summer. Flocks driven from northern sites by lack of food will visit the area and dine with the locals.
Hopefully none get the blues when waiting in line for a meal in the bushes.
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