Pinyon Jay - Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus

The Pinyon Jay, Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus, is a bird that relies heavily on Pinyon Pine/Juniper habitat, so it's a species seldom seen found along the coast.We often see then on trips to the Mono Lake basin, on the eastern slope of the Sierra. Mono Mills, along 120 east of Mono Lake, is often a good spot to encounter a roving band of these handsome blue jays. As we stood on the Mono Mills viewing platform a group of 30-40 Pinyon Jays flew back and forth from a stand to pine trees down to the dry streambed below, foraging opportunistically on whatever food source they had discovered. Photos below taken in sequence at a distance of about 15-20 yards.

The above bird quickly moved to check below the log, perhaps for termites. Note the bright blue of the head, and how the tail is lighter blue that the back and flanks. The bill is fairly long and straight. 

The birds arrived in groups of up to 5 individuals and seemed to enjoy the a non-competitive feast. The frequent round-trips to nearby pines suggested they might be caching food in advance of winter. Next photo barely shows the white streaking in the throat.

Here 2 more of these very blue corvids have just arrived.

The previous day at Crowley Lake (east of Mammoth) Dave Shuford heard Pinon Jays flying at some distance, and our group got to watch about 150 birds flying above a nearby ridge. It's always a bit of a thrill to encounter these nomadic troupe as they roam the interior mountains of our western states. They call loudly as they fly but are relatively silent on the ground and wary of any approach.

Mono Lake with Shuf and The Vagrants - Day 3

Driving north from Mono Lake we crossed Conway Summit and drove down to Bridgeport, turning right to the Bridgeport Reservoir. Highlight of the drive were the Black-billed Magpies near the turnoff. The cool morning air and absence of wind allowed for good photos.

After scoping the thousands of birds on the lake from a roadside pullout we continued to the Bridgeport RV Park and Boat Launch, where the genial manager allowed us to walk down to the now-diminished lakeshore. As we started down we saw a Cooper's Hawk resting on the concrete boat ramp only 20' away. The hawk lifted off but landed on a table at eye level, seemingly unconcerned by our murmuring and gawking. The spangled brown back denotes a juvenile (thanks, Dave) and the large size suggests a female. Rounded tail, of course.

Nearby we spotted a lone White-faced Ibis foraging in a shallow waste area, ignoring our contingent as well as the hawk. Each step and movement of the ibis reflected a rainbow of color. All credit here to the morning light and a cooperative bird. Apologies for the oil container.

The chestnut color is from a brown form of melanin known as eumelanin. The rainbow of other colors is produced when the microstructure of the feathers refracts the white light and preferentially reinforces certain wavelengths, as we see in thin oil films and hummingbird gorgets.

The Glossy Ibis is quite similar, especially in non-breeding plumage, but the red iris and bare skin are seen only on the White-faced Ibis.

One last shot - choose your favorite.

Below the dam at the north end the group saw a limited variety of birds, highlighted by a few Blue-gray Gnatcatchers. I contented myself with photographing a pretty little green skipper butterfly, which Leslie identified as the Juba Skipper.

After lunch we drove back on 395, turning right at Conway Summit to drive up to the Virginia Lakes area. The Virginia Lakes Resort is welcoming to birders, and their feeders reliably attract Cassin's Finches, members of the Carpodacus finches, commonly called Rosefinches (not Rosy-finches). Note the reddish cap and gray auricular area. The top (culmen) of the upper mandible is almost straight, whereas the culmen on the Purple Finch is convex, and even more so on the House Finch.

Nearby a Thick-billed Fox Sparrow refused to pose in good light:

Seeds on the ground attracted several bright Pine Siskins. Note the sharply pointed bill, a helpful fieldmark when the yellow color is lacking.

We saw lots more of course, including many species of waterfowl. Check it out some day!

Mono Lake with Shuf and the Vagrants

Patti and I just returned from a 3+ day trip at Mono Lake with our good Vagrant friends, led by Dave Shuford and ably planned and organized by Kate Carolan. Weather was fantastic, meaning rain-free and cooler than usual.

Day One was spent south of Mono, starting at Crowley Lake. The morning chill gradually faded as we studied the reservoir with our scopes. Most of the thousands of birds were at some distance. One highlight was watching 2 subadult Sabine's Gulls. Before leaving we walked over to the Leyton Springs area, on the nearby eastern slope above Crowley. There we watched 2 Green-tailed Towhees as they bathed and foraged in the shade near the spring inlet. Distance and deep shade challenged the photographers. 

Day Two highlights were along route 120 on the south side of Mono Lake. At South Tufa we were too late for the Wilson's Phalaropes, but still enjoyed a decent variety of the usual species. As we exited the cars we enjoyed watching a Sage Thrasher on the roof of the restroom building.

Along the shore we watched a few Least Sandpipers feasting on the brine flies.

Heading east on 120 we stopped at the Mono Mills kiosk, where we were greeted by the resident White-breasted Nuthatches. Viewing from the kiosk we watched an animated flock of 30-40 Pinon Jays foraging at the base of some desert scrub plants and then flying back to nearby pines to cache or eat their harvest, which might have been insects. Distance and active movements were a challenge to capture. More fun just to watch the frenzy.

Nearby a White-headed Woodpecker was spotted by Beth, and we all watched in awe as this rare visitor plucked pine nuts and stashed them in bark crevices of an adjacent pine. Too close for me to get a good photo, so I took a short video and extracted a few frames Mottle red on crown may denote a juvenile:

Another corvid completed Mono Mill kiosk show, Clark's Nutcracker:

Day 3 to follow.

Mono Lake with Shuf and the Vagrants

Patti and I just returned from a 3+ day trip at Mono Lake with our good Vagrant friends, led by Dave Shuford and ably planned and organized by Kate Carolan. Weather was fantastic, meaning rain-free and cooler than usual.

Day One was spent south of Mono, starting at Crowley Lake. The morning chill gradually faded as we studied the reservoir with our scopes. Most of the thousands of birds were at some distance. One highlight was watching 2 subadult Sabine's Gulls. Before leaving we walked over to the Leyton Springs area, on the nearby eastern slope above Crowley. There we watched 2 Green-tailed Towhees as they bathed and foraged in the shade near the spring inlet. Distance and deep shade challenged the photographers. 

Day Two highlights were along route 120 on the south side of Mono Lake. At South Tufa we were too late for the Wilson's Phalaropes, but still enjoyed a decent variety of the usual species. As we exited the cars we enjoyed watching a Sage Thrasher on the roof of the restroom building.

Along the shore we watched a few Least Sandpipers feasting on the brine flies.

Heading east on 120 we stopped at the Mono Mills kiosk, where we were greeted by the resident White-breasted Nuthatches. Viewing from the kiosk we watched an animated flock of 30-40 Pinon Jays foraging at the base of some desert scrub plants and then flying back to nearby pines to cache or eat their harvest, which might have been insects. Distance and active movements were a challenge to capture. More fun just to watch the frenzy.

Nearby a White-headed Woodpecker was spotted by Beth, and we all watched in awe as this rare visitor plucked pine nuts and stashed them in bark crevices of an adjacent pine. Too close for me to get a good photo, so I took a short video and extracted a few frames Mottled red on crown may denote a juvenile:

Another corvid completed Mono Mill kiosk show, Clark's Nutcracker:

Day 3 to follow.