Snow Buddies

February 14, 2026

Well, probably not really buddies, but in the same neighborhood anyway. A Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) is obvious. Look in the distance above and behind it and you will see a Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus).

Two birds nearly the same size, with the Blue Jay being just a tiny bit larger. The Blue Jay has a length of 9.8 to 11.8 inches, the Red-bellied Woodpecker has a length of 9 to 10.5 inches.

_______________________

If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!

Published by

Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.