You Learn To Appreciate All

I have never been one to dislike the very common blue jays that inhabited our yard. Many other species garnered preferential treatment, but I did not dislike the species. Perhaps their aggressive behavior toward other birds put the blue jays on a “watch list,” but I still like them.

Now that we live in a different habitat/environment, an area lacking in extensive cover for a variety of species, I have come to appreciate blue jays more now than ever before. We have many of them, they bring color to a stark agricultural environment, and even their many vocalizations add interest to outside activities.

Every now and then a blue jay drops a feather under our bird feeders. Today I memorialized a feather against a dark background.

The feather also gave me an opportunity to refresh my macro skills. Since the wildflowers have dried up and insects and butterflies are gone, my macro work has become sparse. Today was an opportunity to run through the process again for close focus work.