This is my last jay, a Pinyon Jay. This jay is blue overall, has a short tail and a long sharp bill, for getting inside cones of pinyon pines. They travel in large flocks, and tend to prefer Juniper-Pinyon woodlands in interior mountains. This one was photographed at Black Rock Canyon Campground, part of Joshua Tree National Park. It is perched in a Joshua Tree. 9/21/19 Judith Sparhawk
Wayne said this is the week of woodpeckers and jays, so I thought I'd add my own--not to compete with his wonderful shots, but to offer up some species that he may not have. Of course since I don't know what he has, I can only guess. This is a Mexican Jay, a good sized jay with beautiful, almost turquoise blue plumage. It mostly occurs in Mexico (duh!) but also lives in pine-oak canyons of southeast Arizona and southwest New Mexico. A different sub-species is an accidental in El Paso and near Alpine, Texas. 9/17/19 Judith Sparhawk
This squirrel was photographed at 8,000 feet elevation on Mt. Lemmon, Tucson, Arizona. I was struck by the different coloring. Looking online, I believe it is an Abert's Squirrel, although that species is known for its ear tufts. This one has the long, upright ears, but no tufts. It may be a young squirrel--they are supposed to be out of the nest by this time in the year. Also, there are 9 subspecies of Abert's Squirrels, with variations in coloring. 9/3/19 Judith Sparhawk
