{"id":70357,"date":"2020-05-31T06:53:52","date_gmt":"2020-05-31T12:53:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=70357"},"modified":"2025-05-19T14:15:35","modified_gmt":"2025-05-19T19:15:35","slug":"female-mountain-bluebird-with-prey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/05\/31\/female-mountain-bluebird-with-prey\/","title":{"rendered":"Female Mountain Bluebird With Prey"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"FemaleFemale Mountain Bluebird with prey for her young – Nikon D810, f6.3, 1\/2500, ISO 400, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I planned to publish a different post this morning and I might write that up for a later time but after a rare, very restless night I just couldn’t do it. My dreams were filled with turmoil plus a sense of anxiety and I don’t have even have to wonder why those thoughts and feelings invaded my sleep. Just a cursory glance at my news feeds is enough to tell me why.<\/p>\n

So this morning I am recalling a more peaceful and far less stressful time period in my life.<\/p>\n

Four years ago today I was enjoying spectacular views of the Centennial Valley and the mountain ranges to the north and south of it in southwestern Montana. Wildflowers were blooming, the scent of rich earthiness filled the warm air, I had birds to photograph, and life was good. By late May in the Centennial Valley it is quite evident that new life has begun because some of the birds that breed there have nested, incubated and have already started to bring food to nourish their young.<\/p>\n

As I went through the images I took four years ago this photo of a female Mountain Bluebird perched on an old fence post with prey for her young in her bill stood out to me. I felt calmer and more grounded just by looking at this photo this morning. The gradients created by a pond and meadows in the background combined with the female Mountain Bluebird with the caterpillar feels deeply comforting to me.<\/p>\n

Stay safe.<\/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","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As I went through the images I took four years ago this photo of a female Mountain Bluebird perched on an old fence post with prey for her young in her bill stood out to me.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":145297,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1513,27,223,12,1369],"tags":[4004,5933,4880,5729,4070,898,4109,5178,7176,228,4104,1984,4106,4339,3844,4881,5434,3996,8917,4193],"class_list":["post-70357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beaverhead-county-montana","category-avian","category-centennial-valley","category-montana","category-mountain-bluebirds","tag-adult","tag-bluebird","tag-bluebirds","tag-caterpillar","tag-female","tag-fence-post","tag-grasses","tag-lake","tag-meadow","tag-mountain-bluebird","tag-perched","tag-pond","tag-prey","tag-sialia-currucoides","tag-thrush","tag-thrushes","tag-valley","tag-water","tag-wooden-post","tag-young"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mountain-bluebird-female-with-prey-mia-mcpherson-7991.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-iiN","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8600,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/06\/15\/female-mountain-bluebirds-in-montana\/","url_meta":{"origin":70357,"position":0},"title":"Female Mountain Bluebirds in Montana","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 15, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"There were Mountain Bluebirds everywhere I looked on my recent trip to Montana where flashes of their brilliant blue plumage were a delight to my eyes.","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 female with prey for her young, Centennial Valley, Beaverhead County, Montana","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mountain-bluebird-female-prey-mia-mcpherson-7085.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-female-prey-mia-mcpherson-7085.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mountain-bluebird-female-prey-mia-mcpherson-7085.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mountain-bluebird-female-prey-mia-mcpherson-7085.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8607,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/06\/16\/a-mountain-bluebird-tribute-to-fathers\/","url_meta":{"origin":70357,"position":1},"title":"Mountain Bluebird Tribute to Fathers","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 16, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday my post focused on female Mountain Bluebirds and today I am presenting males in honor of Father's Day. I was blessed to have two fathers, one who died when I was very young and later in my second Dad came into my life.","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":"Male Mountain Bluebird in a stiff wind, Centennial Valley, Beaverhead County, Montana","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mountain-bluebird-male-montana-mia-mcpherson-2168.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-male-montana-mia-mcpherson-2168.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mountain-bluebird-male-montana-mia-mcpherson-2168.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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2016","format":false,"excerpt":"This young Mountain Bluebird chick was photographed last summer at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Montana.","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":"Young Mountain Bluebird chick in Montana at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in the Centennial Valley","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mountain-bluebird-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-5597.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-5597.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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