When Hili didn’t go up by 7:15, I got people writing to me asking if I was okay. Thanks for the concern, and I’m fine. I was just lazy today and also got hung up printing a bunch of stuff to read. Also, the university is pretty much closed and I’m the only person in my building, which is wearing on me. Plus, the early-morning routine is hard in the winter (kvetch, kvetch. . .)
Okay, on to the readers’ wildlife. Today we have photos from reader Keith. His captions and IDs are indented, and you can enlarge his photos by clicking on them.
California quail (Callipepla californica), male and female; as you and WEIT readers probably realize, the birds with the larger, teardrop-shaped ornamentation on the forehead are typically the males.
The covey was feeding alongside a trail adjacent to an open-canopy field of grass.
Steller’s jay (Cyanocitta stelleri):
A beautiful, and cheeky, western bluebird (Sialia mexicana) who doesn’t think the rules apply to him. He’s probably correct.
Black-tailed deer (aka mule deer, Odocoileus hemionicus):
Acorn woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) and its stash tree, Arizona:
Unidentified bird. Readers?
My guess for the last bird is a dark eyed junco.
That’s my guess too. A male?
Agreed, I see them (dark-eyed junkos) often on my feeder in the foothills of Northern California.
I was going to say ‘Oregon Junco’. Is that a different species?
Could the mystery bird be a dark-eyed junco? I love these wee birds.
Agreed on the junco identification. But what is the variety of woodpecker above it?
Its an acorn woodpecker (two photos – one on the tree and one close up)
+1
Thanks to all who posted the identification for the dark eyed junco. Much appreciated!
Thank you, Jerry, for posting the photos.
The burden borne by one who can be counted on like clockwork.
Guilty in the past. Glad you are well.
Nice photos! You must be living (or at least photographing) in the west of the USA.
Thanks! I was visiting out west after a too-brief stint living in California. My photos are horribly disorganized but I’m trying to get some more of adequate quality assembled for Jerry’s consideration.
Beautiful pictures. I was thinking that, if someone finds a particularly dim-witted member of the quail families, it should definitely be called the Danforth Quail.
Funny
Thanks for sharing, good shots. The West has some great birds.
Junco’s are very common in the PNW. I get lots at my feeders.
Very nice! Thank you for sharing.
Shortly after these photos were taken the cheeky western bluebird went off to feed the horses.
Definitely Dark-eyed Junco, but I would say more specifically one of the sub-species ( there are 7 or 8 ) in the Oregon group. Juncos vary across geographic region in color, ecology, vocals and migration. It takes a very good eye in the field to identify down to subspecies. One of my favorite birds
though I really like the yellow-eyed birds best.
These photos could have been taken in my back yard, and they were all a treat (except I haven’t seen the western bluebird or acorn woodpecker). The Steller’s jay portrait is beautiful. Thanks for sharing.