More than twenty years, ago a juvenile Steller's Jay started hanging around begging for a hand out. He was free and wild, but behaved more like a pet. He brought his young ones, the generations since have also. All these years there have been a few resident offspring who trust me, to a limited degree. I took this shot at about 4 to 5 feet with a macro setting on the camera.
This is his favorite perch, outside the kitchen window. He will sit here, and wait for me to bring out a few peanuts. We reached a new understanding today: I show him I have a few peanuts, and he will wait for me to take a few pictures, close up. But he doesn't sit still!
He really does work for peanuts.
He doesn't hesitate to let me know when it's time to pay him. In this shot, he is actually complaining that I am taking to long. He wants a peanut. It's hard to explain, but we do seem to communicate with each other. His mate is afraid of me, and holds back for a while, then darts in and out quickly.
More later,
Gary
LOL,thats so neat Gary!! I would love to have something like that happening here.
Great pics! Thanks for sharing it with us! He's a beauty!
Nice photos.
Beautiful photos, beautiful bird. Love that third pic of him telling you to get on with the feeding already!
The pair sat next to each other, and I took a lot of pictures in a few minutes. Most had at least one of the birds blurred from moving. They never stop moving! For a split second, they froze for this shot. The one on the right is molting and looks a little ratty.
Hiding the peanut in the Meadow Arnica.
Wonderful shots Gras!! They are so handsome!
This one thinks he's a Pelican.
You talking to me!!!
Awesome shots of gorgeous birds!
I've never seen a stellar jay around here. We have several blue jays that love to swoop in to snatch peanuts when I put them out. It's wonderful that yours seem to trust you and talk with you. Mine eye me like I'm some kind of an ogre. When they are all gone, they yell at me "Where's the peanuts?"
Janet
Clear the deck!
Tee hee! :)
The Steller's won this round. The scrub Jay backed down.
Grouch won this round.
I'm almost positive I heard the Steller's as he went by me saying "feet don't fail me now" of course it might have just been the wind.
Wow, beautiful shots, Grasmussen! They are gorgeous birds. That's so neat that you've fed generations of them and the offspring trust you. Adel, LOL! A Mourning Dove scared off a Stellar's Jay? He must really be a grouch, LOL!
~Kris
This morning's best shot.
Beautiful pic Gras!
