NUTCRACKER CLARKS
birdfotos.com
Clark's Nutcracker
More information click here http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Clarks_Nutcracker.html
photographed in the wild in Arizona.
If you have noticed,
I have stop putting on the Latin Names of the birds.
I don't speak Latin, I don't read/under stand Latin,
and I would venture a guess most of you don't either.
And I don't care if you Ornithologist do get mad,
and more than likely you will, & you will keep on sending
those nasty E-mails as so many of you do already.
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Photographed at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, Arizona. 07/02.
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A large bird, like the other Jays. 12 inches or so head to tail. It even sounds like a Jay. I guess it eats almost any thing. Likes to check picnic areas for any left overs. Nuts of almost any type. Pinyon or Whitebark. Will also eat insects. Even other bird's eggs and there young. The ones I found were in a flock of 10 to 15 birds flitting from tree top to tree top. Also very noisy.
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While walking along the west rim path along along the south rim, I heard this extremely loud screaming Jay like noise. Now, it's got to be loud for me to have even heard it because, I only have about 60% of my hearing and generally have to use a hearing devise to hear the birds when photographing them.
Searching the limbs, branches, and the tops of the trees around me, I finally saw this bird just as it flew away. All I could see as it flew was white and black colors. As it flew it dropped a green ball like object that had seeds in it. It looked like a small immature pine cone of some sort.
Well, I thought I'll just set up my small folding chair and wait to see if the bird comes back.
About 45 minutes, and one Coca-cola later, it did. The nice thing about its coming back was, it always announced its self with those loud screaming chirps the Jays all seem to make. As soon as I would hear a few loud calls I knew the bird was on its way back to the tree I first found it in. So, let's see what I saw that afternoon.
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First, let me this. I have never seen a Clark's Nutcracker at the south rim of the canyon before.
In fact, I can't even remember ever seeing them at the north rim before either.
That doesn't mean they haven't been there all of the time, it's just that I haven't ever spotted one at the canyon in the past, but I did find out they were on the bird list at the canyon. I guess that means I just have never been in the right spot at the right time before, which seems to happen quite often with when looking for birds to photograph. Murphy's Law I would guess.
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Its favorite perching spot.
Also this is the tree that small ball like green object came from it was getting seeds from.
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As you can plainly see it is looking up and all around and calling, calling.
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It would bring those green balls to this limb and start to pry the seeds out.
The arrow is pointing the green ball, it also has one, or a part of one under its right foot.
You can see its bill is open and still calling.
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All done getting the seeds out, it was all set to fly away and get another one.
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It just pried out a small seed and is about down it.
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The red/orange arrow points to that green ball its getting
the seeds from. Note how the bird holds it with its foot.
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I had to magnify this so much it is not to clear.
I wasn't smart enough to photograph the ones it dropped.
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Was back there 08/01/02 and photographed the green pine cone.
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Another Nutcracker just flew in to a branch not to far away.
As you can see this bird was quite concerned about it.
Also note it still has its foot holding that seed thing.
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Bad photo but it's the best I could get of that seed pod.
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Sure would like to fly over there and steel one of those nuts he is so vigorously eating. |
 I guess I had better see just what it is that other Nutcracker wants, as if I didn't already know. |
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Before you could say Clark's Nutcracker, they started to fly in by the the dozens.
I could never get more than 2 in the lens at one.
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I spent the first 15 days of June at the Canyon
and here are the Nutcrackers I saw
Bird selection screen. What's on this site screen.
If you came from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, I just guess you'll have to walk back
I don't have any way to get you there.
Just kidding, click HERE.
Sure hope this gets you back the page you were on???
This site is getting so big, even I am scratching my head
every time I want to make a link to take you some where.
You may contact me at birdfotos@aol.com
NUTCRACKER CLARKS
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