We've had a very warm Fall so far, and a lot of our seasonal visitors have been slow in arriving this year. A cold front bringing in snow has driven birds south and down from the mountains making a busy morning at the feeders today. I was delighted by this visiting blue jay. Those of you living in the eastern half of the continent won't be much impressed by this, but we are at the far western edge of the range for Cyanocitta cristata and this is the first one I've seen in ages.
His distant cousin, a scrub jay, has also been hanging around today. We see them here from time to time, but their niche around here seems largely taken up by black-billed magpies.
Also, today was the first arrival of dark-eyed juncos, who were here much earlier last year. For some emotional reason, I have been uncomfortable with the lumping of our common juncos into one species, but a mixed flock of three different races showed up today.
Gray-headed
Pink-sided 
and Oregon.
1 comment:
Saw my first junco of the fall on my feeder just a few hours ago. Whenever I'm somewhere with blue jays and see one I'm always struck by how dainty they seem in comparison with the Stellar's and scrub jays.
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