# Bluebird Sighting



## ALLEYES (May 5, 2006)

I had a male Bluebird land in my bushes in front of my house in Northern Kent County this afternoon. I have seen them in March many times, but never in January. When they show up in March they are only around a short while and are gone again until spring. I always thought it was the males checking out nesting sites and making sure the homes they used the year before are still there.


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## M1Garand (Apr 12, 2006)

Many male birds have it tough deciding when to come back. If they arrive too early, they can end up dying from lack of food to exposure. If they arrive too late, they lose out on the prime breeding territories. It is possible they are expanding their year round territories northward. They have been known to be year round residents in Indiana and Ohio. Throw out some mealworms on a platform feeder and he'll probably take right to it.


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## Paul Thompson (Jul 16, 2007)

This past Sunday morning, I went out to take a picture of the thermometer to email to friends in Texas to show them what cold was. A dozen birds played in the tree above me, I had never seen these kind before, so I took their picture. I enlarged it and photo chopped the top bird into the picture. Friends tell me they were Blue Birds. Two males and a female. There were more in the group, but were in three different trees.


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## VARMINTHUNTERLAKEORION (Jan 12, 2005)

There's been a group of 40-50 Bluebirds hanging out near my house in Northern Cakland county since the beginning of january - I always thought they would fly south to get the warmth - but over the Last few years there has been a group that hangs out in a thicket with some nearby fields - pretty weird.


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## M1Garand (Apr 12, 2006)

Well that explains it to me....seems like some are overwintering. A few years ago I saw a robin while hunting in January near a large cedar swamp. Apparently some of them overwinter as well. First and last time I saw one though.


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## Spartaned (Jan 24, 2006)

Robins as well as bluebirds frequently overwinter in Michigan. They're usually found in wooded areas where there's a lot of cover at this time of year. A total of 300 robins were counted at Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge (Saginaw) this past weekend, along the Woodland Nature Trail. They were eating glossy buckthorn berries. Unfortunately, that's probably why buckthorn is spreading everywhere in the woods.


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