They didn’t actually fly away. It was the damnedest thing.
I was walking up the mesa the way I always do, and at about the half-mile point, there they were, all of a sudden: a big flock of bluebirds—two or three dozen for sure—taking to the air from a large piñon tree by the side of the trail. They didn’t make a sound as they flew around in circles over my head, not a peep or a whistle. Then as I stood there fumbling with my camera, they flew back into the tree they’d just left, right in front of me. That’s how I got these pictures, obviously. It was as if they weren’t afraid of me, just cautious.
And why should they be afraid? How many people do they encounter in these mountains? For that matter, how many Americans have ever even heard of mountain bluebirds, much less know that they fly around in flocks in December? And there are western bluebirds, too, all year round.
New Mexico continues to amaze me, even after 11 years. I simply wouldn’t be able to see wonders like this in a more densely populated area. The fact that the birds almost accepted me is something else that wouldn’t happen anywhere that two-leggeds have run amok. There’s a quality of being in really wild places that I have come to think of as organic happiness: a vibe, an emotional color, that’s extremely reassuring and absolutely addictive. I’d give anything to stay close to this, even live in an old adobe dump! (Charming and solid though this one is…)
If what I’m talking about it outside of your sphere, you won’t be able to imagine how much the direct experience of numinous Nature can change a person. What’s more, IT’S REAL, unlike the way we live our lives inside a cloud of marketing and conditioning. I think we have human form precisely so we can hook into this and be transformed. The energy, the awareness, these bluebirds, represent a non-verbal teaching of the highest order.
Sentient pond scum may not agree, but the depths abide and do not give a damn.
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
what a delight, and privilege! they are so lovely. i’ve never seen more than 3 at a time.
Definitely a privilege! This was a really big flock, too.
I’ll say it again. Sigh…………
I’ll say “thank you” again…..
I’ve seen bluebirds in Arizona, but never as many as these and all at the same time! What a great and wonderous universe we live in! Wish I could see them up close and personal:)
Well, these were up close and personal, all right. I”m told mountain bluebirds are more common here than western bluebirds, but in my experience, I almost never see mountain bluebirds. Certainly not like these.
You were truly blessed by this site..mostly we see 4 or 5 at the feeders and waterers. Thank you so much for sharing this..take care and have a wonderful Wednesday..