THE SCRUB JAY WAS ABOUT 3 FEET FROM ME WHEN I TOOK THIS SHOT. THEY ARE VERY BOLD!
Yesterday I was waiting for the guy to get here for an exterior house painting estimate and enjoying my redecorating job in the front yard when I spotted the jays and squirrels peering out from the trees (“THE FOREST HAS EYES” is a great expression). I decided to grab my camera and tripod and the bag of peanuts and invite the kids down for an early brunch/photoshoot.
IN PHOTO ARE YOURS TRULY (left in mirror) THE SCRUB JAY AND DOUGLAS SQUIRREL
There was quite the competition going on at the feeding plarform between the STELLERS JAYS, SCRUB JAYS and my DOUGLAS SQUIRREL (who is a “peanut” himself hes so small and bright red) . This jay was very leary being in the same space as little “Dougie”, who will defend his food space like a lion!!
LITTLE “DOUGIE” LET ME GET ABOUT 18″ FROM HIM FOR THIS PORTRAIT
How adorable is this? Douglas Squirrels are incredibly approachable if you “make like a tree” , moving only an inch or so at a time. This guy keeps his ears pinned back when he is really relaxed but I know when he is about to dart away when they pop forward
A JUVENILE STELLAR JAY COMES DOWN TO JOIN THE FEAST…BEING TENATIVE AT FIRST
I have a beautiful clutch of 3 Stellar Jay babies who have been starting to forage for their own fook and are they a joy to watch growup. The Stellar and Scrub jays are always bickering ……usually the larger Scrub Jay wins, so this guy had his eye to the sky and was very quick to grab a peanut and run.
THIS IS A RARE PHOTO TO GET…BOTH JAYS AT THE SAME FEEDING STATION
This is a nice comparison of the two jays side by side. The youngster to the left has pin feathers coming in on his forehead….so cute!!
They both grabbed their peanut and scooted away for a few minutes to eat or stash it
Those cheeks just kept getting fuller and fuller
THE STELLAR JAY WAS TRYING TO GRAB 2 PEANUTS AT ONCE…PRETTY FUNNY WATCHING HIM
THE SCRUB JAY PLANNING HIS NEXT PEANUT SNATCHING STRATEGY
THIS PHOTO REALLY SHOWS OFF HIS BEAUTIFUL MARKINGS AND COLORATION
AND WHERE AM I SITTING WHEN I TAKE THESE PIX? ….JUST TO THE RIGHT OF THIS PHOTO
HERE IS A PEEK AT MY NEW DOG SHRINE I’M WORKING ON
DOUGIE WITH A WONDERFUL REFLECTION IN HIS EYE
Hope you enjoyed the pix!! Have a wonderful week my friends and check out the FOUND A PEANUT video below to keep that tune a hummin in your head all day!! These kids are so adorable. I love watching their expressions as they sing.
My name is Sandra Miller and I love to ART. I enjoy my studio and home in beautiful Portland Oregon with my husband Steve and our charming Finnish Lapphund dog named Ihana