This blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) was a long way off when I took this picture, yesterday. I cropped this photo way in, so this is 50.6 MP starting to pay off but not perfectly. The biggest problem here was noise. I haven't seen a blue jay in a while, they are not coming to the bird feeders right now. This jay has two acorns in its beak.
"Blue Jays lower their crests when they are feeding peacefully with family and flock members or tending to nestlings." - allaboutbirds.org
Here is a blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) from a few weeks ago. For a while they were coming for peanuts that I put out in the morning. This one seems to be checking out the feeder from a distance to see if there are any peanuts.
"The black bridle across the face, nape, and throat varies extensively and may help Blue Jays recognize one another." - allaboutbirds.org
Here is a photo of a blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) that I took in October 2023. I haven't seen any of these birds in a few weeks, I know that they are still around though. Perhaps they are deeper in the forest. My guess I'll see them more when it starts getting really cold, especially it snows. Yes, it occasionally snows in Louisiana.
"The oldest known wild, banded Blue Jay was at least 26 years, 11 months old when it was found dead after being caught in fishing gear. It had been banded in the Newfoundland/Labrador/St. Pierre et Miquelon area in 1989 and was found there in 2016." - allaboutbirds.org
The dark pigment in their feathers is melanin. A trick of the light causes the blue color in their feathers. Scattering light through cells on their feather barbs’ surface makes their feathers appear to be blue.
I had fun painting this one. Christmas is my favorite time of the year, and I love painting such themes. I probably romanticize it in my head a lot due to movies etc, because my Christmases in Greece as a kid were not notable. I had more fun with my husband's family in France. Snow and all. Northern European (I've also lived in UK and Germany in my 20s) and American Christmases felt definitely more Christmas-y to me.
Note: I did two paintings yesterday, one was this one, and the other one was the knight that I posted earlier today. I had to delete the knight one because a cache bug deteriorated the quality of the image after the uploading process. I might post it again in a few months, after I properly scan it, when I have all my gear intact in Greece.
Molting season is here, and many birds are shedding part of their feathers in various spots to grow new ones. They do this now because their skin gets exposed, and warm weather makes being partially naked a lot easier. I always love this part of the year because nobody molts in the same way and the textures and colors are pretty cool to see. Yes, those awkward holes are their ears! #birds#birdsofMastodon#CountGrackula#BlueJay#corvids#nature#Ostdrossel