I have seen only a few Bluebirds over the years even though I lived in their territory for fifty of them. To see one here in Colorado would be very rare. So I’m guessing I won’t see another one. That’s too bad because they are really pretty birds, the male being the more brilliant. The few I’ve seen were from perhaps forty feet, usually sitting on a rural fence post.

They can be found in such areas east of the Mississippi and, if a yard feeder is kept stocked with mealworms, they will happily visit if they are in the area. Once Spring settles in here next year, I will pick the brain of a local birdwatcher and get the lowdown on good local places to sketch birds in the field. That will be considerably more challenging than photos. Until then, I’ll concentrate on sketching from photos with more speed and try to develop a watercolor style that is fast, reasonably accurate and attractive for field work.