Re: Yet Another Gray Jay Story
| February 27, 2015 05:46PM |
The only other corvid I've gotten really close to in the wild was a very curious raven. I followed him down the beach on the southern Oregon coast for about a mile, where he finally let me approach within 25'. He started imitating other birds, doing hawks screaming, pigeons cooing, cackles like starlings, then did other sounds. I imitated him back and he got really curious!
I was shooting with a 70-300 zoom at the time and he kept getting closer and closer. At one point he got within 3' of me, much too close to take photos. Then he started showing off! He'd pick things up and toss them in the air, peck at kelp and then suddenly jump in the air for a couple wing beats. I took 92 photos over a period of 42 minutes and he was never more than 10' from me. The final act was that he tried to pick up a large, fist sized rock and it kept slipping out of his beak. He'd then look it over, even from and upside down perspective. Giving up he tried a somewhat smaller rock with no success. Finally, with a rock about 1 1/2", he got it and strutted back and forth in front of me, "Look at me, I'm just so cool!"
This was one of my all time favorite wildlife experiences!
Steve
I was shooting with a 70-300 zoom at the time and he kept getting closer and closer. At one point he got within 3' of me, much too close to take photos. Then he started showing off! He'd pick things up and toss them in the air, peck at kelp and then suddenly jump in the air for a couple wing beats. I took 92 photos over a period of 42 minutes and he was never more than 10' from me. The final act was that he tried to pick up a large, fist sized rock and it kept slipping out of his beak. He'd then look it over, even from and upside down perspective. Giving up he tried a somewhat smaller rock with no success. Finally, with a rock about 1 1/2", he got it and strutted back and forth in front of me, "Look at me, I'm just so cool!"
This was one of my all time favorite wildlife experiences!
Steve
Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.
488 stops for water at Los Pinos tank on closing day Oct. 1979. Photo courtesy Don Richter
The NGDF was started by Don Richter and is currently operated in his memory by Nathan Holmes and others. Others who have contributed to the upkeep of this board are (in no particular order): Charles McCandless, Everett Lueck, Ted Wilton, Cole Adams, James Bane, John Moellmer, Jon Bentz, Linn Moedinger, lloyd lehrer, Rod Jensen, John Craft, Steven Forney, Herb Kelsey, Bill Ramaley, Russ Sperry (El Russo Loco), Josh McNeal, John West, Jim Armstrong, Bob Bergstrom, Greg Scholl, Blake Forbes Doug van Veelen and Mark Fuller.