As I started out on a walk yesterday at the arboretum, I noticed some birds fluttering around In the oak trees by the parking lot at arboretum. They were in the trees just above the office. As I walked up there to take a closer look, I saw that they were western bluebirds. As I watched them, I noticed that the mistletoe was loaded with berries, and they were excitedly feasting on them. I hadn’t noticed the berries on the mistletoe, and I was grateful to the bluebirds for pointing them out.
Listen for the call of the western bluebird. Peterson describes it as a “short pew or mew.” Cornell Lab of Ornithology describes, “The most common call is a soft, quavering kew that may be given from a perch or in flight and is often given several times in succession.”
Click here to have a listen: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Western_Bluebird/sounds