I finally caught a photo of the elusive Madame Bluebird. Her housekeeping has been evident by the building of a neat little nest inside the bird box. Her partner is expected to bring her materials, but, perhaps being a klutz like me, he’s not allowed near the construction itself. It needs to be well-built because it may need to accommodate two or even three broods this summer. Bluebirds have always been a symbol of happiness - so seeing them every day feels to me like a harbinger of better times. But, did you know that their feathers have no blue pigments? Nope, each feather has a layer of cells that absorb all wavelengths (colors) of light except for blue. Only the blue light is reflected, making them appear blue to human eyes. Speaking of eyes, bluebirds eat insects and caterpillars consuming 12% of their body weight every day - they can spot them in tall grass from over 50 yards away! They must chuckle when they see us human birders trooping around with binoculars.