Blue Chicken

[cldavis <cldavis at xmission dot com>]

Pomera and I drove up to Albion Basin up Little Cottonwood Canyon
yesterday to see what birds we could find.  We asked a lady at the
entrance station if she knew what birds were in the area.  She told us
to watch for what the locals call the "Blue Chicken" (she couldn't
remember the real name of the bird).  Our imaginations were running wild
as to what bird could be described as "blue" and resembling a "chicken".

After birding for awhile we started back down the basin when we spotted
a Steller's Jay perched in the top of a tall pine.  He was so beautiful
with his topnotch blowing wildly in the breeze.  It was then it hit us,
"blue" and resembling a "chicken" (the topnotch).  Sure enough, when we
checked with the lady again and showed her the picture she confirmed our
hunch.  We laughed so hard.  Our dilemma, do we count it as a Blue
Chicken or a Steller's Jay?
Thanks to all Tuula and Milton for rounding up the Yellow-billed Cuckoo
for us this morning.  What a treat!  We also saw the Common Yellowthroat
(life bird).
Carol Davis

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