Same stump but not possible to get them to perch side by side.
Blue Jay
Few minutes later
Red Cardinals male and female
Two Colorful Birds, CO and Janh.
Same stump but not possible to get them to perch side by side.
Blue Jay
Few minutes later
Red Cardinals male and female
Boadicea's Chariot 
Wow these are lovely, in the second image, I can see a little head, with a beak peaking out of the red ball of……? 🙂
Super photos LW.
Cheers LW!
Did you know that the blue jays on the West coast are much darker than those on the East?
amazing how many birds are regional variations in the USA. I note that the blue jays here are less aggressive to smaller birds than they were in the South, very interesting, the local differences.
Hello Val, Yes the males are very bright and the dominant male in any group is the brightest red, and consequently pulls all the hens, bit like humans in a way.
Hello CO: I did not know about the regional variation of Blue Jays, they are big and aggressive here, not very nice birds, often hunt other birds eggs for food, but they are colorful.
Having moved from Memphis to Atlanta, to Dallas to here. I have been amazed at the differences.
I would have expected the differences in the flora but wouldn’t have thought the actual same species of birds would be different but quite recognisable.
The jays are smaller, brighter but darker and less aggressive here, evidently they are grouped in sub species. Robins on the other hand, the American robins, are much larger here.
We don’t have any Cardinals here at all they are not a West Coast species. None to the West of Texas rather sadly!
Just have to make do with these navy blue herons, they’re a sight for sore eyes. Seriously wondered what I had been drinking the first time I saw one, especially after all the dull grey ones in Pembs!
The second photo looks like a photo of some of the cast in Angry Birds
Good photo, BTW. here was meant to be link in my previous comment to the Wikipedia entry for Angry Birds
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angry_birds
Lovely photgraphs, LW. Very spectacular plumage.
Thank you.
Thanks LW!! Interesting to see male and female red cardinals. They do look like they’ve over done the hairgel, don’t they.
Never seen a blue jay before. Difficult to get size of bird but I’m guessing chaffinch size? Or are we talking magpie relative?
Hello Janh: Cardinals always look surprised to me, maybe it’s the hairstyle, and they are belligerent and territorial. Blue Jays here are big birds, about 12 inches from beak to tail and about 18 inches wingspan, smaller than a crow or magpie but very brightly colored, CO tells me they are smaller on the West Coast and more darkly colored.
Today’s visitor in the freezing mist.
My feet are sooo cold!
Great Blue Heron, about four feet tall in his socks.
Poor old soul!
Ours are the lesser blue herons. Very much rarer, a transitory migratory species on the W coast.
About 28″ high and much bluer, even their beaks are blue, ‘School uniform french navy blue’ blue!
Very rare and rarely spotted unless you have water in which to graze. Our visitor stomped up and down our stream in a desultory manner for ten minutes or so, looked suitably disgusted and flew off to dine elsewhere! Never been back so we are obviously off the visiting list as unworthy dining facilities.
Jays here are about 10″ high or so, definitely a bit smaller.
We are currently inundated by Tundra swans visiting for the winter from Alaska and N Canada.
Hundreds of them flock to flooded fields where worms and bugs are drowned and scoffed by the swans. All a very eco clear up of corpses, all benefit! They work the fields very efficiently.