It's the little things

Back in November, I noted we had a rare and solitary bluejay hanging around our neighborhood.

This was something of a minor thrill for the ornithologist in me, since such birds are rare in Idaho. So imagine how happy I was last week to see him (her?) right outside the window at the feeder, gobbling sunflower seeds with greed.

He was a fast bird, so several of the photos I was frantically shooting were blurred. Often he flew away to a nearby tree, then flew back to the feeder.

I was hoping he would become a regular visitor to the feeder, but it appears I'll have no such luck. He showed up twice, a day apart, and that was it.

Such a pretty creature. I hope he returns.

 

A jay at the feeder. It's the little things, y'know?

A solitary bluejay

A couple weeks ago, Don and I were taking Mr. Darcy for his evening walk when I heard a raucous bird call. "That sounds like a jay," I said, puzzled.

Jays aren't common around here. Their niche is dominated by magpies, which are ridiculously abundant.

Once in a while at the feeder, I had a Steller's jay or three, but even those aren't overly common.

But the call I heard didn't sound like a Steller's jay. When I spotted the source in a neighbor's willow tree, I was beside myself with excitement. It was a bluejay! A real live bluejay!

Bluejays are very common east of the Rockies, but vanishingly rare around here (my bird book refers to them as "casual" visitors in this part of Idaho). The neighbors whose tree it is says the jay has been hanging around for a couple weeks.

In fact, we ended up seeing this jay for several days. Always alone.

The last time I saw him was the last day of October.

It sure was fun seeing a bird that was so common during my New York State childhood. What a pity we don't get cardinals.