Depicted in pen and watercolor, an eastern bluebird perches on a branch.
In the northern woodland, among unruly snow-dusted branches, an unexpected movement occurred. The movement was certainly that of a bird, but it was the bird itself that made the movement unexpected. A bright flutter, the bird traveled up from the ground and landed on a spindly branch that bobbed under its weight. The coloring of its plumage came into focus. Blue on top, orange chest, white abdomen. An eastern bluebird.
Soon other bluebirds appeared. The small flock zipped from ground to branch and branch to ground as flashes of delightful blue over a background of browns and grays. These thrushes decided to cut their migration short and stay here with the downy woodpeckers and blue jays during winter.
The eastern bluebird is not necessarily known as a snowbird, but snow was hardly a deterrent. Just as a snowy owl departing on a southbound migration stops at a cold destination offering an ample food supply, the eastern bluebird will stop its travels where it sees fit. And this woodland was fit.