April 3 was the first day of the year I've seen Eastern bluebirds on my property - twice. First I saw something looking vaguely blue, round, and bigger than a sparrow land on top of the green ash on the west slope of our farm, and after looking through binoculars, I saw that it was, indeed, a bluebird - and I also recognized its distinct (and not quite as pretty) song. After singing for about five minutes or so, the male flew off. Later that evening, just as I was getting ready to lower the blinds, I saw an electric-blue bluebird male perching, though not singing, on a wire holding up a power pole. It sat there for a while, allowing me to run to get the camera and snap a few pictures. I think I also spotted a female perched above him on the wire, and the two soon took off and headed for the vineyard, where, as you know, we have three boxes up and where they really like to hang out in the summer. This was literally the single most exciting moment of my year so far!
I also heard a few different calls that I was not familiar with, and was not able to identify. I have since ordered a Birds of Wisconsin audio CD to go with my B of W bird guide, and another book which apparently combines the sound with the picture and description. I am very excited!
P.S.: In case, by any chance, you are not familiar with the Wizard of Oz, the post title is an allusion to the song "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" sang in the movie. Here's the video of the song:
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