mountain bluebird

Very rare along the coast, this dazzling adult male delighted local birders yesterday after being found the day before. It seems to be part of a pattern with a female photographed recently at Point Reyes to the north and another fly-by seen in coastal San Francisco suspected of being this species.

On a trail, Eastern Sierra Nevada

A winter migrant that comes into the valley. They like open areas, like pasture and lake shore-lines. This male was imaged along Lake Isabella shore.

Mountain bluebirds were a lifer this trip, although I'd seen my first ones three days earlier.

Another lifer - Mountain Bluebird, one of a family group of four seen just outside the Visitor Center at Badlands National Park. Yesterday we saw scores of them in woods and sage scrub along a stream in Grand Tetons NP.

Male Mountain Bluebird

Saw 38 in the same field at the Elk Refuge (along with 1000's of Elk and about 60 Big Horned Sheep)

Out of the blue came 27 Mountain Bluebirds in this field-- returned from their wintering place.

One of the commoner birds of the trip.

Easy to spot, hard to make sit still.

Pretty common around the Yellowstone area-never fail to grab your attention though!!