{"id":40555,"date":"2016-07-17T04:05:29","date_gmt":"2016-07-17T10:05:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=40555"},"modified":"2025-05-19T10:39:47","modified_gmt":"2025-05-19T15:39:47","slug":"juvenile-mountain-bluebird-on-the-way-to-gravelly-range","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/07\/17\/juvenile-mountain-bluebird-on-the-way-to-gravelly-range\/","title":{"rendered":"Juvenile Mountain Bluebird on the way to Gravelly Range"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"JuvenileJuvenile Mountain Bluebird on a gravel road – Nikon D810, f7.1, 1\/2500, ISO 500, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I spent yesterday morning and part of the afternoon traveling the Gravelly Range Road in Montana and it was spectacular and I am so very glad I got to see all of the wondrous scenery that the range has to offer.<\/p>\n

I was also delighted to photograph this juvenile Mountain Bluebird on the way to Gravelly Range<\/span><\/a> early in the morning. These were my first images of juvenile Mountain Bluebirds this year and to find one that cooperated was great. The young bluebird had flown down to the ground to capture an insect of some sort, unfortunately I didn’t get an image that showed what the prey was.<\/p>\n

There was an adult male Mountain Bluebird nearby which I assume was the parent of this youngster.<\/p>\n

\"MountainMountain Bluebird juvenile on a large fence post- Nikon D810, f7.1, 1\/3200, ISO 500, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

At this age very little of the blue that makes a bluebird a bluebird shows but it won’ be long until this juvenile will be as blue as the Montana sky.<\/p>\n

\"LupinesLupines on Gravelly Range Road – HTC One M8 cell phone picture<\/span><\/p>\n

And speaking of the Montana sky I couldn’t resist posting one image of the views with Lupines that I saw yesterday on the Gravelly Range Road. Elevations of the Gravelly Range Road are from to 7,400 to 9,500 feet and there are open subalpine grasslands and mixed coniferous forests along with stunning views of other mountain ranges including the Centennial, Ruby and Madison ranges.<\/p>\n

It was a fantastic day under the bluebird skies of Montana.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Mountain Bluebird photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n

Stay tuned for more images from the Gravelly Range Road. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I was also delighted to photograph this juvenile Mountain Bluebird on the way to Gravelly Range early in the morning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":145142,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1513,27,5291,1512,12,1369],"tags":[5933,4880,5292,4067,4071,5293,228,4104,2326,344,4339,4193],"class_list":["post-40555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beaverhead-county-montana","category-avian","category-gravelly-range","category-madison-county-montana","category-montana","category-mountain-bluebirds","tag-bluebird","tag-bluebirds","tag-gravel-road","tag-immature","tag-juvenile","tag-montana-sky","tag-mountain-bluebird","tag-perched","tag-road","tag-scenery","tag-sialia-currucoides","tag-young"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mountain-bluebird-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-4713.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-ay7","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":37342,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/03\/24\/mountain-bluebird-plumage-development-stages\/","url_meta":{"origin":40555,"position":0},"title":"Mountain Bluebird Plumage Development Stages","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 24, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"These images from different times of the year show Mountain Bluebird plumage development stages from not long after fledging to adulthood.","rel":"","context":"In "Beaverhead County"","block_context":{"text":"Beaverhead County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/montana\/beaverhead-county-montana\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Perched juvenile Mountain Bluebird, Centennial Valley, Beaverhead County, Montana","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mountain-bluebird-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-7094.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mountain-bluebird-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-7094.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mountain-bluebird-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-7094.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mountain-bluebird-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-7094.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9060,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/07\/31\/juvenile-mountain-bluebird-in-montana\/","url_meta":{"origin":40555,"position":1},"title":"Juvenile Mountain Bluebird in Montana","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 31, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Last month and this month I wrote about Mountain Bluebirds in several posts that included images of adult males and females, today I am posting one image of the many fledglings I saw last week.","rel":"","context":"In "Beaverhead County"","block_context":{"text":"Beaverhead County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/montana\/beaverhead-county-montana\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Mountain Bluebird juvenile in Montana, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Centennial Valley, Beaverhead County","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mountain-bluebird-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-6110.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mountain-bluebird-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-6110.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mountain-bluebird-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-6110.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mountain-bluebird-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-6110.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 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Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mountain-bluebird-juvenile-ant-mia-mcpherson-7489.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mountain-bluebird-juvenile-ant-mia-mcpherson-7489.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mountain-bluebird-juvenile-ant-mia-mcpherson-7489.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mountain-bluebird-juvenile-ant-mia-mcpherson-7489.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":72319,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/07\/30\/young-mountain-bluebirds-in-my-viewfinder\/","url_meta":{"origin":40555,"position":3},"title":"Young Mountain Bluebirds In My Viewfinder","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 30, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I was happy to have these juvenile Mountain Bluebirds in my viewfinder yesterday and to be able to listen to their soft calls high on the sagebrush dotted hillside.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Mountain Bluebird juvenile perched on a sagebrush stump, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mountain-bluebird-juvenile-perched-on-sage-stump-mia-mcpherson-5189.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mountain-bluebird-juvenile-perched-on-sage-stump-mia-mcpherson-5189.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mountain-bluebird-juvenile-perched-on-sage-stump-mia-mcpherson-5189.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mountain-bluebird-juvenile-perched-on-sage-stump-mia-mcpherson-5189.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":63642,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/01\/31\/juvenile-mountain-bluebird-in-the-wasatch-mountains\/","url_meta":{"origin":40555,"position":4},"title":"Juvenile Mountain Bluebird In The Wasatch Mountains","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 31, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I can't imagine not seeing these beautiful Mountain Bluebirds feeding, breeding and raising their young in the mountains that are close to where I live.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Juvenile Mountain Bluebird perched in a Chokecherry tree, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mountian-bluebird-juvenile-perched-mia-mcpherson-5679-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mountian-bluebird-juvenile-perched-mia-mcpherson-5679-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mountian-bluebird-juvenile-perched-mia-mcpherson-5679-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mountian-bluebird-juvenile-perched-mia-mcpherson-5679-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":52687,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/06\/20\/focusing-on-photographing-juvenile-mountain-bluebirds\/","url_meta":{"origin":40555,"position":5},"title":"Focusing On Photographing Juvenile Mountain Bluebirds","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 20, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Luck was on my side when I found the family of Mountain Bluebirds in good light plus they were close enough to take quality photos of them, first the male then the female and the juveniles.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Juvenile Mountain Bluebird with adult male watching over it, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, 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