July 14, 2004
East Sierras trip day 3: arid country
Our third and final day was devoted to searching for birds whose Californian range is almost exclusively limited to the eastern slopes of the Sierras. We got off to an excellent start, discovering 2+ Cordilleran Flycatchers (lifer) at the base of Lee Vining Canyon. This birdy spot also had a Green-tailed Towhee, American Dipper, Fox Sparrow, Black-headed Grosbeak, Townsend's Solitaire, Calliope Hummingbird and more smart Violet-Green Swallows to name but a few.
Our next destination was the desolate pinyon-juniper forest close to Westgard Pass. In spite of the heat (and the resulting dearth of bird activity), we succeeded in finding Golden Eagle, Black-throated Sparrow, Rock and Cactus Wrens, Black-throated Gray Warbler (a state bird for me) and a single Juniper Titmouse (a life bird, but hardly thrilling!). We also saw this controversial juvenile jay sp.:
Given the habitat and lack of any strong facial pattern, we assumed this was a Pinyon Jay. However, looking back at these photos I'm less convinced: I think a combination of the long tail (as long as the head and body together), relatively thick bill, and blue coloration limited to the wings and tail make this a young Western Scrub Jay. This bird certainly more closely resembles the illustration of juvenile interior race Western Scrub Jay than Pinyon Jay in Sibley. Having zero previous experience of both Scrub and Pinyon Jay babies though, I'd appreciate feedback on this bird from others more knowledgeable than myself!
On the drive home we had another bit of good luck - a brief stop at Tom's Place quickly yielded a female Broad-tailed Hummingbird, a state bird for me and a nice way to round off a fruitful weekend of birding.
Posted by rjhall at July 14, 2004 7:29 AMI would go for Scrub Jay on this one too - bill looks a bit heavy for Pinyon Jay and as you say tail seems long.
Posted by: andyh at July 14, 2004 4:04 PM