A Siberian Bluechat Took a Moment's Rest on My Veranda

A few days ago, at mid-day, when I glanced out the window of our living room, I saw a male Siberian Bluechat alight briefly on the railing of our veranda. He looked at the plants on the veranda, looked at me, and briefly hesitated, and then flew away over the rice fields ----

That was the first time I have ever seen a Siberian Bluechat in our neighborhood. The males  are so beautiful and cute: like a small American Robin, except that they are bright blue (the blue shade of an American Bluebird) and have a wash of orange on their flanks.... Indeed, both American Robins and Siberian Bluechats are thrushes.... Siberian Bluechats breed up north of here (in Hokkaido, The Kuril Islands, northeastern Russia, and Mongolia....).

I wish that Bluechat had not flown away so quickly. I wish he had found a bug to eat, or a bit of water to drink, and stayed a few minutes longer close to us. I wish him well wherever he was headed.

For 2 years I observed a male Siberian Bluechat stay for the whole winter in a stand of camellia trees in The Botanical Garden of Kyoto University. I loved to see him dart out from his tree perch, catch (or try to catch) an insect on the adjacent walking path, and dart back up into his tree. I often saw him doing that around noontime, and the first time I saw him do it, his beauty, and the mystery of what kind of bird he might be, took my breath away and sent me running to find my field guide so I could try to identify him. That turned out to be easy: Male Siberian Bluechats are unmistakeable, and unforgettable.