How I Found A Flock Of Clark’s Nutcrackers Yesterday

Two Clark’s Nutcrackers perched on a distant Douglas Fir – Nikon D810, f7.1, 1/800, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

I heard a Clark’s Nutcracker calling in the sky island mountains of Utah’s West Desert yesterday morning and because I heard it I started to keep my eyes out for these gray, black, and white members of the corvid family. I started hearing the whirring call of Clark’s Nutcrackers in those mountains last year and now I hear them often.

I spotted a rounded, light colored area on the top of Douglas Fir that was about the equivalent of two football fields away that I knew shouldn’t be there. I believed it might be a Clark’s Nutcracker so I scoped it with my lens. My eyes and my birding instincts didn’t lead me astray because there was a Clark’s Nutcracker perched at the top of the fir. Pointing the nutcracker out when there were about half a dozen other Douglas Firs in the area was not as easy.

After getting closer to the fir tree a second Clark’s Nutcracker flew in and joined the first nutcracker I spotted.

Clark’s Nutcrackers on a Douglas Fir – Nikon D810, f7.1, 1/500, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

Then more nutcrackers called as they flew in. How many nutcrackers do you see in this Douglas Fir?

There are five nutcrackers in this photo. More of them were flying overhead and landing in other nearby trees.

Clark’s Nutcrackers are kind of nemesis birds for me. I see them many times a year where most often they are flying past high overhead or are perched too far away to photograph. Sometimes I only hear them and that can be frustrating.  I wish I had been able to get closer to this Douglas Fir where they perched, preened and called but the tree was quite a distance from the dirt road and there was a creek in between the road and the tree. I just could not get closer without leaving the mobile blind I was in and going after them on foot plus the nutcrackers would have flown away when they saw me on foot.

One of the nutcrackers did fly in and land on a nearby juniper where I could have gotten wonderful full body photos of it. Unfortunately I had another juniper obstructing my view of it and the 20 or 30 odd seconds it took to get past the juniper that was obstructing my view was enough time for the nutcracker to fly away.

Clark’s Nutcracker perched on a juniper – Nikon D810, f7.1, 1/1000, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

Another one of the striking gray, white, and black Clark’s Nutcrackers flew in and landed on a juniper where I had a clean, unobstructed view of it. This perch wasn’t as close as the other juniper but I liked the view I had of the bird even though it was giving me an over the back and read end look.

The butt end of a Clark’s Nutcracker on a juniper – Nikon D810, f7.1, 1/1000, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

And speaking of read ends… I would know that this bird was a Clark’s Nutcracker even if the only view I got of it looked liked the photo above. It isn’t much to go on for a positive ID but this view is enough for me.

Distant Clark’s Nutcracker on a juniper – Nikon D810, f7.1, 1/640, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

As much as I hoped that another one of the Clark’s Nutcrackers would fly in close enough for me to get frame filling images of it that didn’t happen yesterday.

By using my ears, eyes, my birding skills, and because I was paying attention I was able to find this small flock of one of my nemesis birds. Perhaps the next time I head out to the mountains I will get the images of this species I desire.

Life is good.

Mia

Click here to see more of my Clark’s Nutcracker photos plus facts and information about this species.