The Steller’s jay (Cyanocitta stelleri) is a jay native to western North America, closely related to the blue jay found in the rest of the continent, but with a black head and upper body. It is also known as the long-crested jay, mountain jay, and pine jay. Colloquially it is also referred to as a blue jay in parts of the Pacific Northwest, though it is a distinct species from the blue jay of eastern North America. It is the only crested jay west of the Rocky Mountains. The Steller’s jay shows a great deal of regional variation throughout its […]

The Spotted Towhee is a large, striking sparrow of sun-baked thickets of the West.  Early in the breeding season, male Spotted Towhees spend their mornings singing their hearts out, trying to attract a mate. The oldest recorded Spotted Towhee was 10 years 8 months old. Source: allaboutbirds    

The Lazuli Bunting is a small migratory songbird.  The male two years of age and older sings only one song but unique to each individual. A young male develops its own song either by rearranging the syllables or copying from a particular older male.  The breeding male has deep blue head, reddish upper chest, and white belly and under tail.  Wing feathers are dark, edged in blue that makes it vibrant and beautiful.

There are a number of Passeriformes (perching birds) called warblers. They are not necessarily closely related to one another, but share some characteristics, such as being fairly small, vocal, and insectivorous. They are mostly brownish or dull greenish in color. They tend to be more easily heard than seen. Identification can be difficult and may be made on the basis of song alone. To English-speaking Europeans, warblers are the archetypal “LBJs” (little brown jobs). Source: wikipedia

The ash-throated flycatcher (Myiarchus cinerascens) is a passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. It breeds in desert scrub, riparian forest, brushy pastures and open woodland from the western United States to central Mexico. It is a short-distance migrant, retreating from most of the U.S. and northern and central Mexico, spending the winter from southern Mexico to Honduras. This bird is also prone to wander, with single birds often seen outside its normal breeding range as far away as the east coast of North America. The nest is built in a tree cavity or similar natural or man-made hole, and […]