Photo Stories - "Bluebird of Happiness"

Do you feel a sense of happiness at the sight of a Bluebird? Maybe it fills you with happiness, or maybe it gives you a feeling of hopefulness that happiness is on the horizon… a harbinger of good things to come to you!

This beautifully colored bird has symbolized happiness in many cultures. One of the oldest known myths is from the Shang dynasty about a blue (or green) bird represented as the messenger for Xi Wangmu, the “Queen Mother of the West,” who was a fearsome goddess and immortal.

The Bluebird as a symbol of hope and happiness is also found in Native American and European folklore. The firstborn son of Sun was named “Bluebird,” according to the Cochiti tribe and the Navajo tribe regards the mountain bluebird as a spirit in animal form, associated with the rising sun.

I personally began associating Bluebirds with happiness and the coming of spring after watching The Wizard of Oz as a child. Back then, it was broadcast once each year on network television as a big special, and almost always in the spring. And it was kind of a special deal to have everyone in the family gather in front of the TV to watch this colorful and lively movie together. No recording, no pausing, watching almost every commercial, everyone happy and enjoying the moment.

Judy Garland wistfully singing “Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly…” was an epic learning experience for my little ears and growing heart. That’s when I first started believing in the magical thinking that chasing rainbows and watching bluebirds would make my life happy. As it turns out, I was right. I just hadn’t envisioned the part where I was holding a camera during the chase.

Last year on a beautiful October afternoon I looked out the window and spotted a small speck of blue among the colorful leaves. I watched for a bit before realizing it was pretty little Bluebird peacefully perched on a branch. Overwhelmed with joy at this site, I quickly grabbed my camera and snuck outside as quietly as I could.

I was surprised to see he was still sitting on the branch, almost as if he were waiting patiently for me to get there. He was still a good 25 yards away, when I snapped the first shot. Even with my zoom lens, it was still a distant shot. I wanted to get closer.

There was a problem though, it was open ground between where I was and the next tree where I could be hidden enough to get the shot I was hoping for. My best bet was to crawl across the ground till I could get to that tree. (But also stopping several times along the way to snap some “just in case he flies away” shots.)

It truly was a remarkable thing to watch him sit so peacefully and not be alarmed by my weird zombie crawl… lugging a 600mm zoom lens so low to the ground was not as easy as I’d expected. But he never flinched and waited for me to get where I was going.

In the end, I was able to capture a photo that was much more beautiful than I imagined… I’d been so focused on the Bluebird that I hadn’t noticed the soft, colorful background the leaves provided.

It really is one of my favorite shots. I love the contrast of the autumn background with the sweet Bluebird of spring in the foreground. It’s like experiencing the best of both seasons in one moment and feeling like those little blue wings have carried you Somewhere Over the Rainbow.