Wild bird photography is both a joy and a challenge. As of this writing, I have spent five weekends photographing Western Bluebirds and their cousins, Mountain Bluebirds, along a bluebird trail near Ellensburg, Washington. There are about 125 nesting boxes located along this trail, with most occupied by bluebirds and swallows each year. It really is a spectacular sight to see so many bluebirds in so short a time; the people who devotedly build, place, clean, and check the nest boxes are largely responsible for the increasing abundance of bluebirds. They deserve our hearty thanks for being sensitive environmental stewards.

Lee Rentz