First sighting ever of a Western Bluebird in the garden

Photo by Brooke Miller/Macaulay Library

This afternoon I happened to look out the living room window and saw a bird perched on a tall dried sunflower plant.

I had never seen one of these before. Although the Western Scrub Jay also has brilliant blue and gray feathers, the bird was definitely not a jay.

Unfortunately by the time I got my camera the bird flew away.

According to the Cornell Lab All About Birds website, the bird I saw was a Western Bluebird.

It's always so exciting to spot something in nature that one hasn't seen before.

And it's a bonus when that creature appears in your garden!