California Scrub Jay (Aphelocoma californica)
Because we didn’t have a vehicle most of the day (Lisa’s is in the shop and Brian had to go in the truck to Sisters for work), Cathy and I walked to a small park in the neighborhood. The most prominent plants in areas that are left to themselves seem to be gray rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa) and sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) along with a few different grasses and some other smaller plants. As for trees, when you get into the hills you find ponderosa pines (Pinus ponderosa), lodgepole pines (Pinus contorta), grand fir (Abies grandis), western larch (Larix occidentalis), and mountain hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana) and western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla). In the flat lands east of the mountains, though, the only tree you see most often is the western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis). In the park, moving around in the junipers, were quite a few California scrub jays (Aphelocoma californica). These are a little smaller than the blue jays we have at home (Cyanocitta cristata). Although it’s not as obvious in this photo, they have quite a bit of a very lovely, pale blue on their head, back, and tail.