A "blue" blue bird

[fishpharmer]

This little fella was kinda blue about me holding him.  Okay, he was pretty mad about it.  He kept biting me.  No blood, but a smarting pinch for sure. 

[Radar67]

So, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. ;)

How did you manage to catch it?

[fishpharmer]

I had some catfish hatching baskets laying on the ground.  He was caught under one.  So I reached under and grabbed him.  Then he grabbed me with his beak.  I am sure he felt he was fighting for his life.  You know how there are sayings about eating crow and blackbird pie.  Well there is a reason no mentions blue bird pie.  It would take a rather large flock of bluebirds to make a decent pie.  There's not much too them except beak.

I was concerned I was squeezing him to hard and let off a little.  He then made his escape.  I was going to release him after taking pictures with the good camera. 

[Mooseherder]

I bet he Blue right by you. ;D

[Radar67]

Yeah, right off in the wild blue yonder!!! :D :D

[Chuck White]

It's color might be blue, but I don't think it's breed is Bluebird.

Beak leads me to believe it's one of the many breeds of Gross-Beaks.

[LeeB]

I was thinking indigo bunting.

[fishpharmer]

LeeB, I think your correct.  I really don't know my birds very well.  Thanks for the correction.  Maybe that explains why it bit so hard. 

[Chuck White]

I do believe Lee is correct!  ;)

I just couldn't think of what kind of bird it was, and never got my "bird book" out.

Any bird with a heavy beak can surly bite.

[HOOF-ER]

Know what you mean about the bite. Helped net cardinals once and those almost bring a tear to your eye.  :D They don't let go after they get ahold of ya either.

[LeeB]

I had a little black duck get hung up my trot line once while I was bating it out. Got hung in the chest. The little beast had me bleeding like a stuck pig before I finally got it loose. I shoulda let it drown and made gumbo.

[Patty]

The indigo buntings up here do not have the orange chest and are not that large. Perhaps they are different down in the south. I thought it looked like a blue bird....but the color was so bright that I am not sure.

Pretty little bird, though!

[LeeB]

I think the orange is it's little foot.

[Aroostooksawyer]

Maybe Blue Grosebeak?

[fishpharmer]

Not only I was wrong.  I think Aroostooksawyer is correct.  The feet of the bird I had in hand are black or at least dark.  The orange was on the wings as shown below.  That better explains the tough bite it had. Thanks to all for looking.

http://www.carolinabirdclub.org/gallery/Buffkin/blgr.html

[chain]

We have a few mulberry trees heavily fruited this spring. The fruits are in the green-red stage but the birds are going wild over them. Was treated to indigo buntings, a eastern blue bird, some warblers and, of course, our resident pair of mockers, who try to rule over the whole bunch.  Bluebirds are our state bird yet, are of a bit of rarity in my home locale.

Something interesting is that some mortality occurs in young bluebirds from a bloodsucking fly of the genus "Protocalliphora"; appearance somewhat as a tick, but the fly has thought to wipe-out up to 75% of young birds in some locales. This, a major reason to clean out and burn last-years nests and litter from nest boxes to destroy overwintering larvae.