Just imagine: How would you feel if, after discovering a cavity in a tree containing a nest full of baby Mountain Bluebirds, you saw a Pygmy Nuthatch feeding the chicks? That’s the situation retired software engineer Steve Zamek found himself in a couple summers ago. He tells what happened in an article in our June 2016 issue, available now at Barnes & Noble and on other newsstands.

We liked Steve’s story so much that we thought we’d gather some of our favorite photos of Mountain Bluebirds.

Mountain Bluebird

As this photo and the next show, female Mountain Bluebirds aren't as blue as the males. Mia McPherson (miam) says the one above was feeding young in Beaverhead County, Montana. The bird was about to enter a nest box. Mia used a Nikon D300 with a Nikkor 200-400mm VR lens (f7.1, 1/1600, ISO 640) and a 1.4x teleconverter.

The June 2016 issue of BirdWatching Magazine, containing Steve Zamek’s article about the Pygmy Nuthatch and the Mountain Bluebirds, is on sale now at Barnes & Noble and other newsstands. The issue is also available on your favorite digital device.

See more photos of Mountain Bluebird.

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Originally Published May 12, 2016