Officially these guys are Aphelocoma californica. Their common name is the California Scrub-Jay. They are in the family Corvidae.
Along the Pacific seaboard from Washington state to Baja California this is the “blue jay” that is a fixture in our backyards. They are assertive, inquisitive, and harsh vocalizers. They are omnivorous and eat a large variety of insects in the summer and acorns, nuts, and seeds in the winter. They will also eat rodents and the eggs or young of other birds as well as small amphibians. By their behavior you can tell they are definitely Corvids, much like small and colorful crows. You will often find them high in the trees being lookouts when not foraging on the ground.
Great picture. It looks lost in thoughts though 🙂
He’s watching me out of the corner of his eye I think. He was only about four feet away.
Extremely intelligent, these marauders will exploit any food source, working in teams to remove parents from nests or distract while an operative raids a bird feeder. Notice all other birds, (except pileated woodpeckers), defer to these bullies at a feeder. I’ve witnessed the Pileated administer lobotomies to these avian antagonists, to be the same, nevermore.
Yes they often forage in pairs – the ones here do. They will cache food for later. They have no problem swooping at my head and yelling at me. Kids are out of the nest now so that’s over. Cheers.
Great shot!
Thanks so much. A mugshot of a cheeky little bird. 🙂
This photo is very sharp and bright. Details are clearly visible so the good looks of the blue jay are well exposed. Great!
Usually you find them being still high up in trees and pretty far away. They are relentless movers on the ground and it can be quite exasperating trying to photo them. This guy was only 4 of 5 feet away from me. The goal was to chase me away I think. They swooped me a few times this year and the wind blew my hair. Anyway this year I got closer shots than ever before. I see them a lot though so over the years from 100 some photos I do have a few really good ones. Thanks, man.
An opportunity that has been put to good use! ??
Great close up!
Thanks. They are getting close this year because they had a nest close by and felt the need to explain to me constantly how I shouldn’t be there. They tested my cat relentlessly as well.
lol So cute.
me encanta el pajarito tan cerca se ven los detalles
Thanks so much … Pájaro descarado – me lanzó sobre mí más de una vez y el viento me sopló el pelo. 🙂
Beautiful!
Thanks so much. They only got close because they were protecting their nest. They didn’t like me in the yard or my cat.
Wonderful composition Howard
Thanks so much. Luckily he was pretty close – I didn’t even need to crop.
Great capture!
Thanks. It’s not easy to catch these guys being still close by. Cheers
Love this photo! Great detail and a wonderful ‘bokeh’
I was able to get unusually close on this one. They are hard to photograph because they don’t stay still much unless they are high in a tree. Thanks so much – Cheers 🙂
I always put out old dog bones on the front lawn – the crows love them, and are quite annoyed when there aren’t any available!
Crows can be cheeky – these guys are quite similar. I share walnuts with them.
I like your posts. But these days I’m very busy I do not have time to comment.
I also have little time to view and post. Sometimes I am not on line for weeks also. Thanks for stopping by Cheers
Different from our blue jays. But what a great mug shot!
Yeah, these guys have no crest on their heads. I miss the cardinals, and bluebirds and bluejays from the East. Have a great day Carol 🙂
Thanks and the same to you!
Beauty photo
Thank you so much Olga. Cheers….
Stunning
Thanks Gina
beautiful 🙂
Thanks so much. Cheers
I love birds. The Blue Jay always reminds me of the movie ‘K-Pax’ :o)
“The bluebird of happiness” … I had forgotten about that. Cheers 🙂
Lovely bird
Thanks Pamela 🙂