Three years ago today, I photographed this adult Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay from my living room window. The jay was in a neighbor’s spruce tree across the street.
Urban Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay in a spruce tree – Nikon D500, handheld, f7.1, 1/125, ISO 800, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
Earlier that morning, I had photographed an adult Bald Eagle in a different tree in the same neighbor’s yard. That was pretty thrilling, but I was just as thrilled to photograph this scrub-jay.
A bird is a bird, is a bird to me, and I am happy when I have them in my viewfinder, even in urban settings.
The spruce tree that the jay was perched in, is no longer there. Last year, the neighbors needed to have the tree removed because it had overgrown their yard and was causing damage to a nearby driveway.
Since the tree was removed, I miss seeing that conifer and the birds that sheltered and nested in it, but I completely understand why it had to go.
I didn’t have great light to photograph this scrub-jay. My tripod was in the back of my Jeep, so I had to handhold my heavy gear to take this image. Fortunately, I was able to brace my lens against the living room window frame for stability since I had such a slow shutter speed.
I don’t have as many photos of this scrub-jay species as I would like to have. I see them most frequently in the Wasatch Mountains and Stansbury Mountain range out west. In the past, I enjoyed being able to see them at home too. I’ve only heard them once since fall at home.
When the current stormy weather clears, I should head out West to find more of these striking scrub-jays.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay photos plus facts and information about this species.
Balance, color and extraordinary detail. It’s all there. Beautiful shot. Thanks Mia.
A beautiful composition. Too bad about losing the spruce tree. We only have a few conifers on the entire 5+ acres. They are magnets for certain species.
Nice when birds are close to home. I am getting tired of the long drives to find birds.
Me too, April, me too. And now, if we are lucky, we get 4 – 5 birds for a long drive instead of filling a memory card with dozens of different birds.
What a wonderful image — and a delightful view from home! I also miss my neighbor’s botanical home for scrub jays, which in this case was some very tall and thick bamboo. I had the perfect view from the couch looking out the clerestory windows.
WHAT a beauty. Thank you.
Love this image. Gorgeous little bird! Thank you for sharing it.—Jeri S.