Happy New Year!

I’m a bit late with this, owing to our trip to Florida for my one and only niece’s wedding. Given what’s going on in our political world right now, I thought a post about this picture of two Steller’s Jays would be appropriate.

Steller’s Jay is a cousin to the more common blue jay, and has the same bold, inquisitive and noisy characteristics. You’ll find them from the Rocky Mountains to the West Coast, usually at elevations of 3,000 - 10,000 feet. They’re named in honor of Georg Steller, the German naturalist who first recorded one while on an expedition in Alaska in 1741.

The snowy background of this photo suggests I took this in the winter, but that’s not the case. It was October, 2013, and we were in Boulder visiting our son David. Our trip coincided with the two-and-a-half week long government shutdown, which closed Rocky Mountain National Park. But the state of Colorado stepped in while we were out there and funded staffing so the park could open. We drove to Estes Park and enjoyed a wonderful day in the park. If you ever have a chance to go there, don’t miss it.

At some of the higher points in the park, and especially in the shaded area, some recent snow had not yet melted. That’s where I found this pair of Steller’s Jays. I used this picture in my calendar a few years ago.