Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)

I got a good look at this Steller's Jay at Mt. Rainier National Park. Steller's Jays are common in mountainous coniferous forests in the American West. In fact, it's rare to see a Blue Jay in the Pacific Northwest as this species is completely dominant.

The bird was first described by Georg Wilhelm Steller, a German explorer of Russian Siberia and Alaska. Steller first saw this bird in Alaska. Remarkably, Steller made the connection with the Blue Jay of more southernly North America -- a fact that helped support his contention that Alaska was indeed a part of the North American continent.

Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens)

This is a very smart looking Chickadee. It's got the typical black and white face of a chickadee, with

an exquisite rufous sash that covers its sides and back. The range of the Chestnut-backed Chickadee is relatively limited, stretching along the coastal Pacific Northwest. I saw several flocks of them when I went hiking at Lewis Creek Park in Bellevue, Washington in late August with the Eastside Audubon.

I made some good friends on that birdwalk. The trip leader, Hugh Jennings, was kind enough to post a picture of the group. Your humble author is second from the left.

Clarke's Grebe (Aechmophorus clarkii)

Readers, you are as patient with me as an indulgent parent. Many is the time that you have permitted me my flights of feathered fantasy. However, I believe that even you will not believe me when I tell you about the courtship display of Clarke's Grebe and the Western Grebe. Sooth, I promise, sooth.

This serene and elegant freshwater diving bird will meet its mate out in a pond. They will begin their courtship with a waltz, where they swim in complicated patterns and mimic one another's movements. Then they will 'kiss', holding their necks against one another and slowly rising out of the water. In the ecstasy of their copulation, they will then levitate up, and walk on water together. If you still don't believe me, look this up on YouTube.

I saw the beautiful bird above in Newport Beach in May, 2014 AD.