[Length 9.5 in. Wingspan 15 in.]

When the male Yellow-headed Blackbird serenades his mate during the breeding season he puts on a show equal to his flashy plumage. He leans forward on his perch, puffs up his feathers and spreads his wings to expose white patches of feathers on his shoulders. But, his "song" is little more than a series of loud, noisy, "squeaky hinge" notes accompanied by a few croaks and buzzes. Sadly, the bird's voice does not match his beautiful plumage! This male was photographed at Valentine NWR in Nebraska, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm f4.5 ED lens on Ektachrome 400 film pushed to 800. (Date: May 1986)

[Length 9.5 in. Wingspan 15 in.]

This male Yellow-headed Blackbird was photographed at Arapaho NWR in Walden, Colorado, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF f4.0 lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: May 1992)

[Length 9.5 in. Wingspan 15 in.]

This female Yellow-headed Blackbird was photographed at Arapaho NWR in Walden, Colorado, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF f4.0 lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: May 1992)

[Length 5.5 in. Wingspan xx in.]

This Blackcap was photographed at Titchwell RSPB Reserve, Norfolk, England, Great Britain. Photo taken with a Nikkor EDAF 300 f4.0 lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: May 2002)

[Length 7 in. Wingspan 13 in.]

The electric blue coloring of male Bluebirds certainly makes them one of the most beautiful of the New World thrushes. Bluebirds declined in numbers for several decades due to several factors. One is that European Starlings and House Sparrows competed aggressively with them for nesting sites. Another is that Bluebirds require open spaces, which are disappearing as land is developed for housing and business uses. However, the concerted efforts of people to put up specially-designed nest boxes specifically sized for Bluebirds (and slightly too small for Starlings) have resulted in promising increases in their numbers. This Eastern Bluebird was photographed at a city park in northern New Jersey, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm f4 EDAF lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: November 1993)

[Length 7 in. Wingspan 13 in.]

This male Eastern Bluebird was photographed bringing food to its nestlings at a nestbox in the Texas Hill Country, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF f4.0 lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: June 1999)

[Length 7 in. Wingspan 13 in.]

This male Eastern Bluebird was photographed bringing food to its nestlings at a nestbox in the Texas Hill Country, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF f4.0 lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: June 1999)

[Length 7 in. Wingspan 13 in.]

This female Eastern Bluebird was photographed at Ingram, Texas, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor EDAF 300 f4.0 lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: June 1999)

[Length 7 in. Wingspan 13 in.]

This male Eastern Bluebird was photographed at the Falfurrias rest area on Route 281, Falfurias, Texas, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED lens on a Nikon D7100 camera. (Date: October 25, 2014)