Cindy Valentine, Vicki Klossner Ehlen, Keith Padden My kids grew up knowing, there are no Blue Jays in California. They would hear it every time someone said they saw a Blue Jay here. Followed by, There are no Blue Jays west of the Rocky Mountains. They also grew up knowing how much I love Blue Jays and how much I wanted to see them. One day I decided I wanted to see them badly enough that we would make a trip just to see them. We would go east of the Rockies. So we packed ourselves up and made a trip to Colorado Springs, on the eastern side of the Rockies. (We had no computer at the time, so I couldnt just go online to learn where to find them.) Well we found out thats not east enough. We never saw a one. The following summer we packed up again. I didnt know how far east I had to go, so we went all the way east, as far as we could go. We took three weeks and travelled across America and back. We saw the first Blue Jay in Indiana. However the big thrill was in Washington D.C., where there were tons of them and they were friendly. They took peanuts from our hands and we were all delighted. Oh and along the way we saw other stuff, you know, like the white house and those monuments and things, all that Boston stuff, but we saw Blue Jays! So when I knew that I was going to Texas for my Bird of the Day project, number one on the list of hopefuls was the Blue Jay. However, even though I was able to photograph many wonderful birds, the Blue Jay was not one of them. I described on Facebook how I had heard them, and seen them flash by but never got one. I said that I couldnt believe that I would not be including the Blue Jay unless I figured something out. One prompt from my friend Vicki Ehlen was all it took. One little You can do it, Lorna, and I figured I couldnt just give it up. I had pretty much run out of travelling funds so I tried to find the place where I could get cheap airline tickets. I found that there are Blue Jays in Denver at this time of year. (They have been moving a bit west over the years.) I looked up tickets and found really cheap ones. YAY! I called the Audubon Society in Denver and told them about my project and asked if anyone in the area might be willing to walk with me to help me find a Blue Jay. I was put in touch with a man named Hugh Kingery. Hugh was called, the unofficial dean of Colorado birders, by the Denver Post, and he wrote the book, Birding Colorado, a Falcon Guide book. Hugh was wonderful. He was not available to help me find the bird, so he contacted volunteers from the Audubon Society and told them what I was looking for. He put me in touch with Cindy Valentine, and I just couldnt believe it, but she offered to host Keith and me at her home, where she has feeders and had been getting Blue Jay visitors. WOW!! DOUBLE WOW!! This was my answer, so Keith and I left on the 3rd of December for a quick turnaround trip to Denver. Not only did I get my bird, but we had the most delightful time with Cindy and her husband, Dennis. Cindy showed us some of the beautiful spots where she finds birds, the best of which seemed to be her own yard, which had plenty of visitors including the Blue Jay. We had a lovely dinner at The Old Stone Church Restaurant and then came back to their home for one more sleep. In the morning I had another two hours worth of photo opportunities and then we were on our way home again. I just cant believe my fortune. I feel so grateful for just being egged on by Vicki, and then to have found these wonderful people who so graciously opened their home to us. Its not everyone who could understand how much I wanted to include these birds. It was considered a rather unusual request. I dont have enough thank yous for Cindy and Dennis Valentine. Thank you also to the love of my life, Keith Padden, for always supporting me and for being willing to take such journeys with me. Thank you, Keith for all the help with the camera. Keith is the photographer in the family and helps me in those situations where I have no idea how to get the setting I want. I am a lucky lady. On December 31st, to close out the year, the bird of the day, nay, I say, the bird of the year, will be my darling Blue Jay!
Posted on: Sun, 07 Dec 2014 17:25:38 +0000
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