Western Bluebirds at San Dieguito River Park

The Western Bluebird is a fairly common bird in San Diego County. It is a secondary cavity nester, meaning it relies on nest holes dug by woodpeckers or other species. It also readily nests in man-made nest boxes.

The core of abundance is in the montane pine and oak forests, especially about meadows, but they can be found all the way down to the coastal lowlands where they compete with European Starlings for nest holes.

Male western Bluebird. Escondido, California. April 3, 2016. Greg Gillson.

Female Western Bluebird.

I photographed this pair of bluebirds on a recent hike out of Escondido.