Pinyon Jays
49 images Created 23 May 2023
The coolest things in life is to have 30+ Pinyon jays come in and land within 10 feet of you to drink water.
Camouflage is the only way to photograph these nervous nellies. Unfortunately their numbers have dropped 85% in the last 50 years and could be eliminated by 2035. This group is absorbed into a colony of 200 during the winter. It's always safer in numbers. Then each spring they return to their breeding grounds.
After 18 months of documenting these gregarious and very special birds.The waiting period is finally over, the piñon nuts had arrived. All images are from the Cibola National Forest in Catron County, New Mexico.
Background history: Pinyon jays are indicators of how fragile the ecosystem is throughout the Southwest. The Pinyon jay has a unique relationship to the pinyon trees and their survival depends on each other. This story is to support the listing of "The Guardians of the Pinyons" as endangered.
Future coverage: After two years, I'll now focus on land management. What's happening to the forest? Research in the field, and how this will affect the future of the Pinyon jay.
Exhibits: An image was apart of the Photoville 2023 exhibits in NYC and was part of ASMP/NANPA. It was one of the first images taken in the series.
Please contact me if you are interested in this story.
Camouflage is the only way to photograph these nervous nellies. Unfortunately their numbers have dropped 85% in the last 50 years and could be eliminated by 2035. This group is absorbed into a colony of 200 during the winter. It's always safer in numbers. Then each spring they return to their breeding grounds.
After 18 months of documenting these gregarious and very special birds.The waiting period is finally over, the piñon nuts had arrived. All images are from the Cibola National Forest in Catron County, New Mexico.
Background history: Pinyon jays are indicators of how fragile the ecosystem is throughout the Southwest. The Pinyon jay has a unique relationship to the pinyon trees and their survival depends on each other. This story is to support the listing of "The Guardians of the Pinyons" as endangered.
Future coverage: After two years, I'll now focus on land management. What's happening to the forest? Research in the field, and how this will affect the future of the Pinyon jay.
Exhibits: An image was apart of the Photoville 2023 exhibits in NYC and was part of ASMP/NANPA. It was one of the first images taken in the series.
Please contact me if you are interested in this story.
