Birds at Bandelier-
What Bird Is This?
© Jan 2004, Harold Arnold
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These photographs were
made at a Camp Ground at the Bandelier National Monument in
northern New Mexico. My Sister-in-law thought they might be piñon
jays. Yet the Peterson Field guide illustration, pictures it as a
near solid colored blue-gray bird with out the white or other highlights
appearing in the photographs. In this respect the left most bird in
the first picture comes closest to the Peterson example, but even here the
white throat markings do not show in the Peterson photograph.
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| The pictured birds seem most definitely jays. Typically they were quite bold coming to within 15 feet of us as we ate our sandwiches at the picnic table enabling the easy shot with the full 10X optical zoom engaged. Even so it probably was not so bold as the stellers jay that I have photographed previously, as it was cautious enough to Swoop down, grab a few bites of apple or corn chips and immediately flying to the safety of the trees. |
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I wonder if perhaps there are two (or more) different jays in these pictures? Based on the pictures in my Peterson Field Guide, I think the scrub jay and Mexican jay are definite possibilities. Also perhaps the ordinary blue jay is a possibility, but the pictures do not show the white and dark patterns in the wings and tail that show in my Peterson illustration. What do you think? |
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Other Harold Arnold Bird Pages |
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