Bluebirds of Happiness

Big news! My friend Eric Carlson found a pair of Eastern Bluebirds in Oregon! Amazingly this is the first state record!! None have been recorded on the entire west coast. There isn’t yet a record in California or Washington. It’s made every Oregon birder review their Western Bluebird photos and rethink their past sightings.

The differences between Eastern and Western Bluebirds are subtle especially if you’re not expecting them. When Eric saw the birds outside the Dharma Zen Rain Garden, he posted them on iNaturalist as Western Bluebirds. During iNaturalist’s community review process 21 year old birder Joshua Smith of Fort Collins, CO chimed in that he thought they were eastern. Then the whole thing “blue” up.

Luckily they’ve stuck around so everyone can enjoy them. I went early on a rainy morning where I met many other birders. It was like a fun reunion.

Eastern bluebirds have a bright white belly, and orange color that comes up to the throat and sides of the neck.

Adult Western Bluebirds have a blue throat and a bluish belly.

It’s been determined that both of Eric’s birds are males because of their bright blue color. Pretty incredible to have two birds as the first state record and two males at that! This spot is where Eric has found Say’s Phoebe, Western Bluebirds (and now eastern), and an Eastern Kingbird. I last visited in March not long after my surgery while I was still on crutches and a knee scooter.

It’s a great piece of habitat and I hope it’s kept preserved as a grassland space. It’s also in my 5MR!

Eastern Bluebird is not life bird for me since I’ve seen them in Florida while visiting family.

And this summer while visiting Tomas’s family in Michigan.

But Eric’s birds are my Oregon state year bird #307! And a great reminder that sometimes you don’t have to go far to find something special. Next year I’m going to focus more on local patches and spend more time birding and less time driving.

Such a fun sighting and I’m so happy for Eric!!! Congratulations!

Tweets and chirps,

Audrey