Field Notes: BLUE JAY

Blue Jay have the same shape as Steller's Jay, including the distinctive crest, but they are colored differently. They have a mid-tone blue on their head and back and white or grey on their underside. They have a black band around their neck and white stripes on their wings and the tip of the tail. Blue Jay can be very noisy birds, and are sometimes found in groups, which just increases their noisy calls. Photographing other birds can become difficult after stirring up a group of Blue Jay. I've seen them often enough, but have photographed them only rarely.