Blue Jays might not be very nice birds, considering their habits around feeders, their propensity to raid other birds’ nests for eggs, and their general noisiness and bother…but no one can deny they are a handsome bird. Classic profile with jaunty crest, every shade of blue known to man, and those bold wing patterns…this is well dressed bird!

On a trip through the living room a few weeks ago, I caught this specimen cavorting in the ornamental Cherry outside the window and was able to grab my trusty Canon SX50HS in time to get off just one shot, through the not particularly clean, and certainly not optically flat, glass of the window. It is still the best shot of a Blue Jay I have gotten to date.

As above, Canon SX50HS. Program with auto iContrast and Shadow Fill.  1200mm equivalent field of view. f6.5 @ 1/320th @ ISO 800. Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpness. With a bit of special attention with the local adjustment brush around the eye.