Spent today at home but I was still able to capture some wildlife action in the back garden. Over the last week or so Grey Squirrels and Jays have been visiting on a fairly regular basis to feast on the peanuts I have been distributing around the garden for them to find. The grey squirrels are quite bold and are relatively easy to photograph but the jays are shy and only spend the minimum of time to grab some nuts and are then away again.
The jay is a very handsome member of the crow family and has pinkish body plumage with a bright blue patch on the wings and a black ' moustache '. For most of the year the jay is a secretive woodland bird that is more likely to be heard than seen. However in the autumn they look for supplies of food to see them through the winter months and the favourite is acorns. However they have recently moved into suburban gardens adjoining woodland areas and parks and cemeteries and will come to search out peanuts left for other garden birds. I have been fortunate in attracting a pair of jays to the garden and recently they have been visiting frequently and have given me lots of photo opportunities. Some of my efforts to capture these beautiful birds and the grey squirrels are shown above.
Lovely photos! Your Jays are quite handsome...and so is the squirrel!
ReplyDeleteI love your jays and squirrels. Nice photography. And they are a wee bit different -- the squirrels are. The jays are totally different in appearance.
ReplyDeleteOur Blue Jays are neighborhood watchdogs and scream at the intruders -- especially warning of hawks.
You can slow down your jays for better photos by poking peanuts in their shells (the unsalted variety) into spaces between boards on a fence. Anything that works to squeeze a peanut in will keep the birds returning until they get it either by pulling or by pecking and pulling or pecking the shell until the nut can be plucked out.
Two nice garden creatures Brian. The top Jay pic is about to become today's post image on Birds2blog with my many thanks once again for the permit Brian.
ReplyDeleteLovely shots of the Jay and Squirrel. They sure look happy.
ReplyDeleteExcellent shots of the Jay Brian.
ReplyDeleteYour garden sounds like mine - complete with well fed grey squirrels!
ReplyDeleteHi all,
ReplyDeleteThe jays are several species of medium-sized, usually colourful and noisy, passerine birds in the crow family Corvidae. The names jay and magpie are somewhat interchangeable, and the evolutionary relationships are rather complex. Thanks a lot!
Wildlife Photographer