The ubiquitous gray jay (pic included)

[Steve Foss]

Good friend of the boreal forest birder, the gray jay seems to have little fear, and if some day I slip and fall in the wilderness and perish, as could always happen, it will be these bold ghosts of the forest that will find me first. Well, maybe the ravens will get there first.

Canon 1D Mk2n, Canon 400 f2.8L (non IS), various tripod and head and all that, iso200, f4

And the REAL meat-eater of the boreal forest . . .

[MARINERMAGNUM]

i wish we had some gray jays around here. beautiful image.

i heard today that in south central Iowa there are some Hoary Redpolls hanging around. i guess they are rare in these parts. are there any up north?

[Steve Foss]

MM, hoary redpolls are rare anywhere you find redpolls. If there are documented hoary sightings in your part of the land, I'd bend an accelerator pedal on your car to get there and try for photos. Both redpoll species are remarkably tolerant of people close by, and if you find a hoary down in the lower 48 in winter, it's usually one individual mixed in with a big bunch of common redpolls.