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| Steller's Jay, Children's Garden Pond |
I don't know how I never really noticed the two blue stripes on the head, just above the beak, on a Steller's Jay. I suppose the jays are so easy to identify that I've tended only to glance at them. The two that I encountered at the pond in Strybing Arboretum's Children's Garden on Sunday were content to go about their business without sounding their usual raucous alarm as I observed them from the little boardwalk. Occasionally one of them would find a little seed or nut, then fly deeper into the bramble to hold it down and peck into it.
A Wilson's Warbler flew into view on the other side of the pond, and I thought I'd missed the shot as it darted from branch to branch in search of insects before quickly flying away. This was after a Townsend's Warbler had eluded my lens earlier, and before I thought a Yellow Warbler had done so as well.
The Flower Piano event was in full swing while I was there. I'd forgotten all about it and wondered if I'd find any birds at all with so much human activity going on. But I took advantage of the free valet bike parking and gave it a look. And a listen. There was a lot of good music going on.
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| Blue-Striper |
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| This tree sported more vines than leaves of its own. |
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| I always hear Tom Hanks in Cast Away, calling out "Wilson!" when I see these guys. |
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| This was the best shot I could get of a yellow warbler as it darted from branch to branch. A couple of times it landed completely in the open, but I wasn't fast enough to catch it... |
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| ...but at least it worked out better than it did with this Townsend's warbler. Even without the intervening leaf, it's a bit shaky in that dim light. |
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