Go dee...jay!

We have a free theme for this week's SMAP! This time I decided to focus on one particular species, instead of a photo round up.

This is a very common species, at least in this part of the world, even in urban areas. It's more easily heard than seen, that's for sure. And I've been struggling for AGES to get a decent photo of this cute rascal... until last vacations!

^{Eurasian jay - Garrulus glandarius}

I was hearing him for quite some time at this point, and saw him crossing in front of me at a distance, torwards some leafless trees, althouh I was unable to see if he had stopped there or continued. I didn't heard any more callings after seeing him fly by, and as I continued walking I scouted the trees, but no sign of him.

Oh well, usual stuff. After a couple of minutes slowly walking and checking the trees, something called my attention... and there he was, perfectly still, so close!

These were the first shots; I was expecting him to fly at any moment, and figured I better had some photos even with the twigs in front (always the damn twigs! 😁), than no photo at all. But he stood still, and I kept changing the position for a clearer view.

The day was pretty cold, and he had a more fluffed appearance than most of times I see him perched. Won't complain, though! After a couple minutes of me in papparazzi mode, he flew a little bit further away, and some of the characteristic colours were more visible.

Jays are almost unmistakable, and one of the characteristic that stands out is that blue and white patch on the wings. Another one, and one of the easiests to spot, is the white uropygial area (the area at the base of the tail), that is very well seen in flight (especially when they're flying away from you). But again, once you've seen him a couple of times, it's hard not to identify it right away. The same with the callings: it can sometimes be confused with crows, given how harsh the calling is, but it is still distinctive (they do belong to the same family as crowns and ravens).

Hoping to get more photos like this in the future, it was about time a jay posed for me; it was a perfect birdwatching/photo session to finish the year... hope it was a sign for things to come this present year! :)

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