The Pinyon Jay ranges from central Oregon to northern Baja, California. This was the second time ever it visited British Columbia. It’s a beautiful blue bird with a long sharply pointed bill.
It was a chilly autumn day, and a small group of us brave souls were out there for the Christmas bird Count. A bird landed at the top of a five storey high conifer. It was blue. No crest! And a VERY long bill. This was not a regular sight in our region. We manage to take a poor picture, and the bird flew away. I didn’t think it will be spotted again.
The next morning some most ambitious bird watchers went on a reconnaissance trip. It was quickly spotted again! In the following month, birds from all over BC, and some from more Eastern provinces, flocked to see the bird. It was soon discovered that the Jay is a regular visitor at a bird feeder in a yard of an old couple. The couple was sympathetic with the plight and determination of the ample of watchers and photographers descending on their streets, and let people in their yard, occasionally into their living room!I am responsible for hundreds of bird watchers from all over Canada descending on a quiet neighbourhood in North Vancouver with their binoculars, cameras, and scopes.
