Driving along the road, a bird approximately the size of a magpie swooped out in front of me & I paced myself after it, as it flew along the side of the road at eye level. I puzzled as to what it was - its white rump & black tail instantly made me believe yes - a magpie.
However as the road widened upon the approach to a lay by, the bird veered in to the road side & flew away from me to the left. Only then did I glimpse its full body & brown fawn plumage, instantly revealing its self to be none other than an elusive Jay.
Strangely enough, reading the literature, it is a common enough bird, but shy and perhaps hence the reason why it is so rarely seen.
It was a delight to see this bird & marvel at its colours - to think that it is of the Crow family. Yes it is a type of crow.
Its plumage is beautiful & colourful, yet when you look at this side profile, one can imagine it being a crow given its shape despite its colours.
As I grabbed my camera bag & shuffled for my lens, I spied the Jay take something from the undergrowth under a tree on the hillside. It moved further up the hill to an embankment, which you can see in the picture. It blended in so well, I momentarily lost its location. The camouflage certainly was working. Then I picked it out again & aimed my camera in its direction. I managed to capture this image which has been cropped to attain this view.
However as the road widened upon the approach to a lay by, the bird veered in to the road side & flew away from me to the left. Only then did I glimpse its full body & brown fawn plumage, instantly revealing its self to be none other than an elusive Jay.
Strangely enough, reading the literature, it is a common enough bird, but shy and perhaps hence the reason why it is so rarely seen.
It was a delight to see this bird & marvel at its colours - to think that it is of the Crow family. Yes it is a type of crow.
Its plumage is beautiful & colourful, yet when you look at this side profile, one can imagine it being a crow given its shape despite its colours.
As I grabbed my camera bag & shuffled for my lens, I spied the Jay take something from the undergrowth under a tree on the hillside. It moved further up the hill to an embankment, which you can see in the picture. It blended in so well, I momentarily lost its location. The camouflage certainly was working. Then I picked it out again & aimed my camera in its direction. I managed to capture this image which has been cropped to attain this view.
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