[Length 7 in. Wingspan 13.5 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 male Western Bluebird was photographed in the foothills east of Santa Maria, California. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm f4 EDAF lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: September 1997)

[Length 7 in. Wingspan 13.5 in.]

This female Western Bluebird was photographed at The Nature Conservancy's Davis Mountains Preserve, Fort Davis, TX. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED lens (EFL=450mm) on a Nikon D200 camera. (Date: December 20, 2008)

[Length 7 in. Wingspan 13.5 in.]

This male Western Bluebird was photographed at the MacDonald Observatory, Fort Davis, TX. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED lens (EFL=450mm) on a Nikon D200 camera. (Date: December 20, 2008)

[Length 7 in. Wingspan 13.5 in.]

This female Western Bluebird was photographed at the Macdonald Observatory, Fort Davis, TX. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED lens (EFL=450mm) on a Nikon D200 camera. (Date: December 20, 2008)

[Length 5.75 in. Wingspan 9 in.]

Bluethroats are Old World thrushes which breed locally in small numbers in western and northern Alaska. The blue and red throat pattern is iridescent, like that of a hummingbird. This male, a spring migrant, was photographed along the base of Sevuokuk Mountain at the village of Gambell on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska. Photo taken with a 300mm f4.5 Nikkor ED lens on Ektachrome 400 film pushed to 800. (Date: June 1989)

[Length 4.25 in. Wingspan xx in.]

This Chiffchaff was photographed at Sumburgh Hotel Gardens, Sumburgh, Mainland, Shetland, Scotland, Great Britain. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF-S f4 lens (EFL=450mm) on a Nikon D100 camera. (Date: June 2, 2004)

[Length 7.5 in. Wingspan 11 in.]

The American Dipper is found along swift mountain streams throughout the western US, western Canada, and most of Alaska. It is a dark, stocky bird, known for suddenly diving into the water, where it hunts for food by "walking" along the bottom on the stream. It accomplishes this by going upstream with its head down, letting the rushing water press its compact body down while its feet grip the gravel and stones of the streambed. When it does fly, it follows the contour of the stream, rather than go in a straight line which would take it over dry land. This American Dipper was photographed along the Big Sur on the central California coast. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm ED f4.5 lens on Kodachrome 64 film. (Date: November 1981)

[Length 7.5 in. Wingspan 11 in.]

This American Dipper was photographed at Zion National Park, Utah. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm ED f4.5 lens on Kodachrome 64 film. (Date: August 1980)