Winged Wednesday — 6/10/2026: The Color Blue

Eric Gofreed

Well-Known Member
It’s Winged Wednesday, where feathers, flutters, and flight steal the show! Whether they’re soaring, hovering, gliding, or simply posing where the light is best, we want to see your favorite winged wonders. Birds, bugs, bats, butterflies, dragonflies, or anything else with wings—if it flies, it qualifies.

My contribution this is brought to you by The Color Blue.

We spend our lives beneath a blue sky, yet a flash of blue in a tree can still stop a birdwatcher mid-sentence.
Some of these birds wear blue boldly. Others hide it in a wing, a tail, or a brief shimmer of sunlight.
Either way, blue has a remarkable ability to make us look twice.

These are a few of my favorite winged visitors who brought a little blue to the week.

Blue dacnis - male FW.jpg

Blue Dacnis (male)
It's hard to overlook blue when blue refuses to be overlooked.

Western Bluebird-0225-Edit-Edit.jpg

Western Bluebird
A little blue goes a long way, especially at takeoff.

Blue-eyed Darner-00704-Edit.jpg

Blue-eyed Darners
It's easier to stay together when you're going the same direction.

Blue Morpho Butterfly (Morpho peleides).jpg

Blue Morpho
When wings closed, a butterfly. When open, an announcement.

Sayaca Tanager -09550-Edit.jpg

Sayaca Tanager
If you can't find it, try turning the world upside down.
 
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Trent Watts

Well-Known Member
Love these Eric. That Sayaca Tanager really has something to say.
My WW contribution this week come from mostly from the last week of insect photography.

A Bluebottle fly.
_5251875.jpg


Scarlet Malachite Beetle
W1011766.jpg


Sweat Bee
W1011838.jpg


This week there were a lot of these Silvery Blue Butterflies hanging around doing their butterfly thing. This one was the only one that stayed in one place long enough to get some images. It was on a sandy beach by the river and seemed quite content for me to get very close with my camera. The wings are a beautiful blue on the inside and quite dull on the outside.
W1012116.jpg


Same butterfly with wings folded together.
W1012119.jpg


Close up of head.
W1012125.jpg
 

AlanLichty

Moderator
I hate to break up the string of nice blue hues but I am a bit short on blue wings in my stash without going into reruns.

A well loaded bee heading away from a generous coneflower from last summer:

CR5m2_BeeCone081225.jpg


And a ptarmigan at Mt. Rainier National Park. This bird is apparently quite used to not being noticed by teeming hoards of tourists since it blends into the foliage quite well but is only about a foot away from one of the busiest footpaths leading away from Paradise Lodge. @Jameel Hyder and I were chatting on the trail when this bird and another one were feeding in the brush right next to us so we both grabbed some shots.

CR5m2_MRNPPtarmigan092525.jpg
 

DES

Well-Known Member
This photo is not meant to be depressing.

It is a powerful mural that was on the wall of the Albuquerque Museum.

As I understand it, a bluebird has a spiritual meaning in several cultures. The death of a bluebird implies a transition, or a rebirth. This mural, while controversial, showed the many colorful birds ascending after the death of the bluebird. It was a very striking mural when I saw and photographed it, and I thought it was worth sharing.


bluebird.jpg


Sorry if it offends anyone.

Darrell
 

Eric Gofreed

Well-Known Member
Love these Eric. That Sayaca Tanager really has something to say.
My WW contribution this week come from mostly from the last week of insect photography.

A Bluebottle fly.
View attachment 89593

Scarlet Malachite Beetle
View attachment 89594

Sweat Bee
View attachment 89595

This week there were a lot of these Silvery Blue Butterflies hanging around doing their butterfly thing. This one was the only one that stayed in one place long enough to get some images. It was on a sandy beach by the river and seemed quite content for me to get very close with my camera. The wings are a beautiful blue on the inside and quite dull on the outside.
View attachment 89596

Same butterfly with wings folded together.
View attachment 89597

Close up of head.
View attachment 89598
you are an insect photgrapher extraordinaire, Trent.
(I have some medical issues that may be serious. I might need you to take over a few Winged Wednesdys. If you are can do that, I'll need your emal address)
 

Eric Gofreed

Well-Known Member
This photo is not meant to be depressing.

It is a powerful mural that was on the wall of the Albuquerque Museum.

As I understand it, a bluebird has a spiritual meaning in several cultures. The death of a bluebird implies a transition, or a rebirth. This mural, while controversial, showed the many colorful birds ascending after the death of the bluebird. It was a very striking mural when I saw and photographed it, and I thought it was worth sharing.


View attachment 89610

Sorry if it offends anyone.

Darrell
It is a mural worth seeing, Thank you Darrell

The bluebird is gone, but it still has plenty of birds left.

Gorgeous mural. Bird photographers are probably the only people who can look at a dead bird and immediately start discussing lighting, composition, and species identification. The colors are dazzling.
 

Eric Gofreed

Well-Known Member
I hate to break up the string of nice blue hues but I am a bit short on blue wings in my stash without going into reruns.

A well loaded bee heading away from a generous coneflower from last summer:

View attachment 89599

And a ptarmigan at Mt. Rainier National Park. This bird is apparently quite used to not being noticed by teeming hoards of tourists since it blends into the foliage quite well but is only about a foot away from one of the busiest footpaths leading away from Paradise Lodge. @Jameel Hyder and I were chatting on the trail when this bird and another one were feeding in the brush right next to us so we both grabbed some shots.

View attachment 89600
the bee is a longhorn bee, I don't thr eprcific species. The ptarmigan is a stunnng photo. Envy envy envy
 

Trent Watts

Well-Known Member
you are an insect photgrapher extraordinaire, Trent.
(I have some medical issues that may be serious. I might need you to take over a few Winged Wednesdys. If you are can do that, I'll need your emal address)
I'm sorry to hear you have medical issues Eric. I would do my best to help you out with WW. It seems daunting when the bar has been set so high. An issue I would face is coming up with ideas each week. I have not kept track of the image I have used on FocalWorld and with my aging brain would quite likely do many repeats without realizing it. You can contact me at trentw@sasktel.net.
 
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