With a disgusted look on their face an American Robin wonders where spring has gone. Standing on a pond that was liquid as liquid can be only a few days prior and the forecast ahead points to another chilly couple of days. Really?
Spring can be so fickle yet this guy will tough it out.
Well that’s a mouthful.
The names given to groups of particular birds are always interning, and sometimes head-scratching to say the least, but with a little imagination these do seem to fit the bill.
So let’s begin.
Last week we got paid a visit by a group of six Stellar’s Jays. While it is typical for perhaps two or three to hang around the nearby forest six at once was a new experience. All six seemed friendly enough towards each other and curious enough about us so a “band” of jays…well perhaps.
A cast….ummmm….maybe. They each did seem to play a role in the whole show. Some were boisterous and bold others a bit more shy like this guy below who hung around on the edge of the forest while other paraded by quite close to us. Unfortunately they did not congregate or come close enough together for a nice group shot but we caught at least three or four individuals who all seemed to strike a similar pose and looked remarkably similar as well.
All seemed to be having a good time and displayed quite a range of vocalizations ranging for the usual scolding Jay sounds to songbird initiations and one Jay was quite adept a imitating the sounds of a pair of Golden Eagles we have heard all winter calling from the tops of the trees. So in their very own Stellar’s Jay way it was indeed a party.
And while we were indeed scolded every now and again for hanging around in their forest it was a gentle scolding and one we could easily accept for invading their space.
So there you have it a nice visit with a “band”, “cast”, “party”, or perhaps a “scold” of Stellar’s Jays on a April afternoon.
We watched and mostly listened as this male Sage Thrasher sang his long and complex song from the top a the sage brush on a quiet dirt road.
According to All About Birds “males have long, complex, melodic songs, with remarkable variety. The rambling series of phrases, often preceded by soft clucking notes, is continuous and interspersed with moments of repetition and mimicry. Songs can be very long indeed; one male was recorded singing for 22 minutes straight.”
While this guys song was not a whopping 22 minutes it did go on and on leaving me out of breath just listening.
We were pleasantly surprised one recent morning when we noticed a flock of birds foraging in the distance turned out to be beautiful Gray-crowned Rosy-finches. They were busy gobbling up the remaining seeds of some plants not buried deep under a winter of snow. Beautiful birds and ones we don’t often see.
A golden eagle enjoys a perch high above a wide open valley. Sitting and scanning for a meal to appear below.
As spring slowly makes it’s way into our area we have had an influx of Dark-eyed Juncos in the neighborhood. First we noticed a few foraging for seed on the ground and within a week or so that two became ten or more at a time. When not foraging the males have begun to sing their musical trill while perched in the trees nearby. A wonderful spring chorus to liven days now spent at home.
Presence simply stated.
While getting ready to go for a hike a while ago we were pleased to have the company of numerous Pinyon Jays buzzing about in the parking area collecting seeds.
According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Pinyon Jays are highly social birds of the lower mountain slopes of the western United States, the Pinyon Jay is specialized for feeding on pine seeds. Each jay stores thousands of seeds each year, and has such a good memory that it can remember where most of them were hidden.
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pinyon_Jay/id
Now if only I could bottle that kind of memory and take a sip every morning I might never forget where I placed my keys.
Much smaller than the leaves on this tree a Female White-Necked Jacobin puts proportion in perspective….. how can something so small can leave an impression so large.
With snow still covering the fields the Mountain Bluebirds have made their return. Yes, at this point there are only a few scattered along the county roads staking out the prime real estate and empty nesting boxes, but what a welcome sight they are.
The male a brilliant blue perched upon an old fence post was a welcome sight on this mid-March afternoon.
nature has no boss 
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