The
Stellar's Jay is a striking bird, closely related to the Blue Jay. It is the only crested jay west of the Rocky Mountains. It was named after the German naturalist Georg Wilhelm Stellar. Primarily residing in coniferous forests, they also inhabit other forested areas. Stellar's Jays are omnivores, with 2/3 of their diet consisting of plant matter and 1/3 animal matter. The nest is usually in a conifer but sometimes they use the hollow of a tree.
These shots were taken at
Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden in Portland, OR. Unfortunately, he scampered around in a shaded area, so these are not the sharpest of shots, and the best I could do hand held at a shutter speed of 1/320, ISO 3200, f/8. The rule is to have your shutter speed at or exceeding your focal length, so I'm pleased that these came out as well as they did, considering I was using the 400mm lens fully extended. My poor daughter's Nikon pooped out on her during our visit here, throwing out a shutter error message. It will have to make a trip to the camera hospital soon. :(
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| The feathering appeared a lighter blue when he was puffed up. |
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| The only shot I was able to get from his back side. So although his face is blurry, I wanted you to see the detail of the feathers. |
41 comments:
A very pretty bird! Love the blue and the crest. So glad you got to see some birds on your life list.
I like the shot where he seems to be checking you out!
These noisy guys often dominate our back yard. Neither my camera nor I are up to the task of photographing them, though! These pics are wonderful.
Such a pretty bird!
He's beautiful, I think you got some really great shots!
you got some handsome shots! i'd be thrilled to see one of these guys.
Wow! Good ones!
Good morning Gail...
Beautiful details in the feathers and the blue just makes this bird extra special. I know you were super excited when taking these pictures.
Can you believe it is already Friday?
Enjoy today and the weekend..
shug
You have good eyes and hands to take such a nice series of pictures.
They are gorgeous. I love the color tones in his feathers.
Oh he's handsome Gail! Lovely shots!
what a beauty!
Hello Gail
What a magnificent bird this is!
Such brilliant pictures you took!
Gail, I am sorry about the word verification, but I cannot deal with 200 anonymous mails and comments every day.
There is a round arrow you can click to change the words if you cannot read them.
Thanks for understanding...
Cheers!
They are pretty jays, I love their colors! Great shots! Happy weekend!
The blue color is fantastic, but I like blue colors on birds :)
Really nice pics to look at!
i hope the deer come tonight to the yard. We have to see.
If not today perhaps tomorrow ..
Love the quizzical look in on of the images! He's a pretty boy.
This is a spectacular bird.Such rich colour on him.
Wow, he's a gorgeous range of blues! Very pretty.
Absolutely beautiful! Such a pretty, rich color of blue. I love the 4th picture :)
Hugs to you!
He is such a pretty bird, you got some really good shots of him, love those feathers.
Wow, your photos are STELLAR, Gail!!!
Gail, great photos by my humble opinion. You know, those first front shots of this Stellar is interesting as he looks old. He looks like an OLD BIRD. Do birds ever look old? I don't think they do. The back view tends to give him a 'younger' appearance. hahahaha
Thanks for noticing my scarf more than the arm party. Arm Party? Isn't that a funny term? I love it. Sometimes I hear it as Arm Candy, but that isn't a bracelet collection. It is a handsome man escorting you and he is the Arm Candy, right? hahahahaha
See you on Monday - Have a super weekend.
These are super! Love them all but the fourth one down is my favorite. Happy weekend.
Wonderful shots of a beautiful bird. Well done at any speed. :)
I've seen these birds before, on trips out west, but I've never managed a decent photo of one. Your shots are lovely...every one of them. I, too, like the one where he seems to be checking you out. And the last one is beautiful.
Loverly....the only "jays" we have here. I think we call them "camp robbers" out in the wild. You have captured such fabulous detail in those wonderful blue feathers. (The Rhododendron Garden is on my to-do list the next time we drive west!)
I have to say I've never heard of the Stellar's Jay before - we must not have any here in Kentucky. What a beautiful bird!
first off, glad to read you had a great time in Portland! But, you were missed.
As for the stellar jay, I haven't seen one of these since I live in Colorado [always spotted in the mountains]. And by the way, 'beaning' is collecting sea beans [seeds] that drift from the tropics up to the Texas coast.
beautiful photos ..I love watching jay antics...Michelle
Pretty! I don't think we have those here. thanks for sharing him.
Love the shots of this pretty boy I would not typically see here in NY...
Very striking. Plenty of Blue Jays around here but I've yet to see one of these. Gorgeous bird.
Oh wow - what amazingly gorgeous detail and colouring in the feathers! Fabulous shots.
Amazing shots of the Jay! Lots of details. The images are crispy sharp.
Hey Gail, I hope you had a good trip, these shots are lovely, he's a scruffy thing but beautiful colouring :)
Stellar jays certainly are attractive birds. So sorry about your daughter's camera. How annoying!
Definitely a stunning bird.
I love this guy! We mostly have the plain blue jays in our Oregon Park. We see the stellar when we go to the woods, just as you say.
I've never heard of them. Gorgeous shots, Gail!
A beautiful member of the Jay family!
Your images of the Steller's Jay are --- well --- stellar!
Nice work!
Funny - see why he's called a jay - looks like he got dipped into the blue jay pot half way!! Wonder if he's as "bad" as the typical Blue Jay? Very nice shots!!
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