Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Blue Jay/Wild Bird

 Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)

Blue jays are common just about everywhere in eastern North America in deciduous woods, coniferous forests and even residential backyards. The one above lives in Algonquin Provincial Park and is looking for a handout. Notice his/her crest is lowered. Apparently they lower their crests when they are feeding.

 Another blue jay

This one is also hanging out where humans are tossing out peanuts. And some people are holding the nuts in their palms.  While gray jays - whiskeyjacks -  like their peanuts shelled...

Found a Peanut, Found a peanut...

blue jays enjoy the challenge of shelling their own.

I am joining Stewart M's Wild Bird Wednesday HERE

53 comments:

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm said...

Blue jays really are gorgeous birds!

Kerri Farley said...

Oh I LOVE the Blue Jays!!! Beautiful captures!

Muffy's Marks said...

They are beautiful birds, but oh so noisy!!!

Lowell said...

Blue jays are ubiquitous here...but they can be really nasty. They'd fight with all the other birds in our back yard at our old house. And usually win. The cardinals would stand up to them, though.

Beautiful shots!

Stephanie said...

You captured this Jay beautifully. May I ask what kind of camera /lens you have? The blue colouring is so rich, gorgeous!

The Cranky said...

Blue jays are incredibly beautiful but I am not fond of them. When I was wee, perhaps 5/6, there was a blue jay that would attack me every time I went outdoors and yank hair out of my head. That autumn my father was cleaning up outside after a storm and came across the jay's nest.....completely lined with my hair!

Pamela Gordon said...

Beautiful photos of the blue jays. We have a lot around our yard.

Kathy said...

Gorgeous photos of this beatiful bird.

Susan said...

Wow, what great photos. Beautiful bird!

rainfield61 said...

Blue is beautiful.

Andrea @ From The Sol said...

Blue Jays do have a reputation for being naughty, but I still can't get past their beautiful coloring. You really captured the richness of their blue feathers in these pictures, plus how fun they are to watch when they are eating a peanut in the shell. Bet you had a few chuckles on the camera shoot :)

Andrea @ From the Sol

VP said...

Lovely set of pictures for a very nice bird!

MadSnapper said...

the best blue jay pics i ever got were at the park, we were throwing peanuts like this to the squirrels. the jays would sit in the tree and watch and when we threw one would dive on it before the squirrel could, one even dived and caught the peanut in the air.

TexWisGirl said...

i love these loud and proud snappy dressers.

Dan said...

Beauties one and all!

Aside from the splendid colours, they have such a repertoire of songs/calls I think they're amazing.

Lois Evensen said...

Wonderful images of a bird of my favorite color. :)

Anonymous said...

SO beautiful!

Paul in Powell River said...

We don't see these on the West Coast, which is a shame, but then you don't get our Steller's Jay.

HansHB said...

A great serie of photos of this colourful bird makes this a perfect post for WBW!

Randy said...

So handsome! I love the peanut shot.

RedPat said...

I really like your shots and the jays themselves despite their behaviour problems!

Karen said...

Fabulous captures! BJ's are such peanut pigs!

Anonymous said...

I love these loud, showy birds!

Brian King said...

Gorgeous shots! The peanut photo is awesome!

Adam Jones said...

Such a beauty. I do really like the Blue Jay. Wish we had them here.

Phil Slade said...

Those Blue Jays are so clever - no problem to open that peanut shell. Nice pictures of your Blue Jay(s).

Unknown said...

Delightful. Think it might be worth the flight from the UK just to see one of these.

Rohrerbot said...

Nicely captured! It's fun to see all the different jays around the country. I think I've seen 3 around these parts. The Stellar, Mexican and Scrub. Either way, Jays are fun birds to have around the gardens and feeders:)

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

He's a real beauty. We mostly just have scrub jays here -- not as showy, but still that beautiful blue. I didn't know that about peanuts -- will have to try that.

mick said...

Such a beautiful color on those birds - and great photos.

i stora drag said...

Really nice shots of this colourful bird! Fun to see it with the unshelled peanut! Those birds doesnt't live in Sweden.
Thanks for your comment! /Pia

LONDONLULU said...

Love these bright birds, I suppose they're a bit on the aggressive side, but they are so beautiful to see! Your close-ups are amazing!

Susan Anderson said...

Nice capture. Such a vivid blue!

=)

An Apel a Day said...

I love Blue Jays. They have such pretty coloring.

NatureFootstep said...

this bird is soo beautiful in it´s royal blue colors. I love it. And you have great shots.

Carole M. said...

wow - a stunning bird; how handsome!

Les fous du cap said...

Beautiful bird ;-)
Have a good day.
Céline & Philippe

eileeninmd said...

I love the noisy Bluejays! Great shots, they do love the peanuts.

Viola said...

So very very beautiful bird, I think I've never seen this one before.. a lovely blue color he/she has got!
and such a lovely brestband! =)

Lesley said...

wow.
and thanks for that earworm... :(

Jill said...

They are so pretty....I just wish they weren't so mean.

Snowcatcher said...

Glorious color in these photos. I didn't realize they lay their crests down while feeding.

lorik said...

Great shots of a very beautifully patterned bird. I like the first one best with the criss-cross line pattern of the tree behind him

Neil said...

Beautiful shade of blue.

Jack said...

This always bothers me. People shouldn't feed these wild birds. They need to keep their feeding skills sharp, not their begging skills.

Cezar and Léia said...

This bird is cute, and my favorite image is the first portrait!
Léia

kayerj said...

I love the Blue Jays. Nice shots.

A wondering star said...

Wonderful pictures of the beautifully colored little bird.
I'd love to see it on the bird feeders in my garden, but it's probably not here in Norway.
Thanks for sharing

Stewart M said...

Great pictures - the blue looks almost too blue! I loved seeing these birds when I was in the US.

Thanks for linking to WBW

Stewart M - Australia

Linda said...

The blues really stand out on the blue jay in your photos.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful captures! The blue jays around my place enjoy dog food. :-)

A Colorful World said...

He's beautiful! Great pictures.

Rose said...

They are a beautiful bird, but can be so mean.

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East Gwillimbury is a rural town less than an hour north of Toronto, Canada's largest city. My family calls me CameraGirl because I take my camera with me wherever I go.