The way things are right now,
I am saving a lot of money on bird food because there is still simply nothing happening. Today was a lovely gloomy day with fog for almost morning to evening, but only few birds visited. This may be a good time to purge for a bit to get the MoDos to move on 🤔 We will see, there is some cold weather coming, and that usually brings birds in.
The backyard
is currently mostly occupied by these guys - young Blue Jays. They are loud, they are entertaining, they are adorable, all the while learning how to get around in life. The adults often mostly look alike except for the “necklace” part but the babies have very different looks, and I always love the variety. One of my favorite ones showed up the other day. Each year, there is at least one like it, and for some reason I find them extra cute. They have comparatively dark markings around the face, reminding me of a cartoon bandit. Others barely show any markings.
A blue beauty
to end this day on a nice note. The angle of the sun has changed, and it just illuminates the birds in a wonderful way for a couple of hours during the day. Good night!
As a little Sunday surprise,
the Blue Jays have leaked the cover of their next album. Influences of Death Metal and Hardcore are interwoven with ethno and hip hop beats and folkloristic melodies, as a commentary on the current state of the world, I’ve been told.
Everybody was enjoying
this nice, shadowy spot. At least until…
On a sidenote, that Titter looks so happy!
The Blue Jay babies
come in different shades and marking, something which I always find somewhat fascinating because the adults seem so much alike. This one sticks out a bit because it has hardly any markings. It looks so cute against the flower backdrop. (I am still super busy with work for the next couple of days but then I will hopefully find time to go through the big pile of photos that have been accumulating.)
The balding Blue Jay
is not making a lot of progress, and I am not sure if he is molting. The patterns and textures on his head are fascinating, though.
The Blue Jays
and their babies are all over the yard at the moment. The funny thing is that they really don’t care where I place a camera, they will come and explore it as soon as I turn my back. Here, we have a baby, an adult and a baby with adult.
I have heard them for a couple of days now,
but here is the first official Blue Jay baby of the year!
With these Blue Jays
I want to wish everybody a nice and safe 4th of July. Don’t use hand sanitizer right before you light up the grill or fireworks ;)
(The one on the left is still either molting or fighting some kind of mites. The one on the right was taking a sunbath at the feeder. You might have seen birds do that, they spread the wings flat on the ground and turn towards the sun. Often, the beak is open and they look like they might have an issue or are paralyzed. In reality, they are just taking care of their feathers. Getting rid of parasites and such.)
No Blue Jay babies yet,
but I spotted the first molting Blue Jay today. The birds are shedding their feathers and grow new ones. This is part of why I am happy to feed them also during the warm season, to help them staying healthy and looking pretty soon again. I also love the photos from molting time because they present cool insights into bird anatomy and give some really cool dramatic looks.
A perfect summer day at the pool.
A nice splash and a snack brought to you by your lover. These Blue Jays were so cute. (I know the lens was dirty. I need to find a solution for that.)
Video: Blue Jay collecting nesting material
A Blue Jay is collecting nesting material (the suet cage contains wool from a bird store, grass and roots).
The Blue Jays
are cracking me up. They are very vocal at the moment, and create a frenzy and hilarity wherever they go. (The second bird in the second photo was a Robin.)
