©Bert Gildart: Since no one picked up on the misidentification I made on my posting of September 22, 2008, (A Life Time in the Mountains) perhaps I shouldn’t say anything. But I don’t like to make mistakes, so am going to point out that I mixed up the identification of what is commonly known as a Whiskey Jack with the Clark’s Nutcracker. The posting was from a trip to Banff National Park in Canada, and I’ve corrected the error. Because it’s easy to confuse the two under some conditions, here’s some information that will help with the correct I.D. It also makes a good case for always consulting field guides.

The Whiskey Jack, also know as the Gray Jay, has a beak with a more rounded tip while the Clark’s Nutcracker has a sharply pointed bill. The call of the two birds is also much different. The Whiskey Jack creates a sound that with a little imagination can actually sound as though it’s saying Whisssssss keeey. The Clark’s Nutcracker has a more drawn-out sound: Kr-a-a-a, it grates out, Kr-a-a-a.

The Gray Jay’s head also distinguishes it, being dark toward the rear. By contrast, the Clark’s Nutcracker’s head is a solid gray.

ALSO CALLED CAMP ROBBERS

What can sometimes be confusing is that both birds occupy the northern coniferous forest. Moreover, the Clark’s Nutcracker is usually difficult to approach, but that wasn’t the case six weeks ago above Lake Louise where I took this photo. The Gray Jay photo was taken in winter, and ironically on a winter trip to Banff. See the snow? Gray Jays are notorious for begging and for stealing items from your camp or picnic area–hence another name: Camp Robbers.

Actually, I do know the difference between the two, but sometimes I get too many irons in the fire and that’s when I start making mistakes. I hope it doesn’t happen often. Interestingly, according to a field guide, the Clark’s Nutcracker was named after William Clark of the Lewis & Clark Expedition.

I picked up my error while preparing a submission to my Stock Photo Agent in New York, and when Janie and I make submission to him, we both check things many, many times. That’s when I recalled my posting and today, when I reexamined it, I discovered the mistake.

To be absolutely sure I was correct this time I referred to one of our field guides. Over the years we’ve owned several and they are all available from Amazon. When traveling, we always pack them along in our Airstream, which will soon be put to use once again. We think the guides are invaluable.

Now aren’t you glad I made a mistake, ‘cause now look at all the extra information you got.

TWO YEARS AGO AT THIS TIME:

*We were in the Great Smokies, during a week when the park experienced a snow storm.

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This entry was posted on Monday, November 17th, 2008 at 8:15 am and is filed under Montana Photography, Natural History/Conservation, Photography. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.