I have said this before…and it is still true…I have never seen a more spectacular junk bird than the Green Jay. Junk birds are birds that are so common that birders do not look twice. House Sparrow. Juncos in winter. Mallards on a pond. Etc. Now, I can (and should) say that to a real birder, there are no junk birds…but the fact is that even the best, most conscientious, most righteous birder pays little attention to the most common birds most of the time.

And there is no doubt that if you live in South Texas, especially in the Rio Grande Valley, Green Jays are junk birds. They are that common. Put out a feeder, they come. Don’t put out a feeder, they still come. They are everywhere, all the time. And their habits in your yard, like the habits of most Jays, are, shall we say, not endearing? The very definition of junk birds.

However, if you don’t live in South Texas, the bird that you are most likely to be impressed by on your first visit, is the Green Jay. I mean, it is in-your-eye vivid, and so striking, so over-the-top exotic, that you will never forget your first encounter. “What was that?!?!?!”

And, being a junk bird, it is easy to see. If you only make one or two trips to the Rio Grande Valley per year, you will never get tired of seeing Green Jays. I know I have not!

I have not got tired of photographing them either. I have enough Green Jay shots from my Texas trips to make a calendar…most likely a 5 year calendar. (Not yet a Mayan Calendar…but I am working on it.) 🙂

These shots are from the National Butterfly Center gardens in Mission Texas.

Canon SX50HS. Program with auto iContrast and Shadow Fill. –1/3 EV Exposure Compensation.  1200mm equivalent field of view. f6.5 @ 1/100th and 1/125th @ ISO 800. Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpness.