Sunday, November 14, 2010

Blue Jays

Not as confiding as most feeder birds, the Blue Jays will not visit the feeders unless I position myself some distance away.  Using a 400mm lens allowed me to take these photos with only a slight amount of cropping.

Slightly alarmed by the clicking of the camera shutter the Blue Jay gives me is undivided attention


And then crouches as it begins it's take-off.  Firing the camera on high speed continuous the next frame only contained the tips of the Blue Jays tail feathers.

The brilliant blue of the Blue Jay's plumage is the result nanostructures that form the feathers rather than actual pigment.  If you find a feather crush it between your fingers and you will see the brilliant blue change into an unremarkable gray.

5 comments:

Lois Evensen said...

Lovely images.

Elaine said...

Beautiful blue jay images! Two other blogs have also had some fantastic blue jay images. They are so much prettier than the gray jays we have here, although the gray jays are not shy. I can go out on the deck while they are feeding and stand a few yards away and they just keep on eating.

Chris said...

Fantastic Coy, the bokeh is really perfect and the light too. That's a splendid bird I would love to meet one day ;-)

Montanagirl said...

Beautiful shots, Coy! I agree with Chris, the bokeh is terrific on these photos. Blue Jays are so much fun. I've been posting photos of them as well; however, they land with no fear right on my peanut tray on the deck rail.

Mary Howell Cromer said...

I used to not be so pleased with Blue Jays and then I had the encounter this past summer season with the young one that was blind in one eye and survived over six weeks in the protected covering in the wild. I fell in love with them and your images bring back sweet memories~