On a misty winter morning

I have recently had only one occasion to take my camera out on a walk.  It was a misty morning, the kind where the air is thick with not quite frozen fog, and although the birds were twittering quietly all around me, the only bird I saw was a Blue Jay.  The bright blue of his feathers seemed to stand out sharply from the dreary, half frozen atmosphere of the forest.

Blue Jay excavating the top of  tree stump

Digging for some grubs

Blue Jays are amazing birds.  Their curious, sometimes cocky, no non-sense attitude is very entertaining.  They are hardy and seem to have no trouble surviving, even in the worst of winters. 

Mr Blue Jay after the air  cleared

This particular Blue Jay stayed with me through out my walk.  Not following of course, but always there.  He was busy foraging for grubs or bugs, and any left over hazelnuts that all Blue Jays seem to favor.  Every once in a while I would see him disappear to the forest  floor, and reappear a heart beat later to pound away at one of the nuts with his bill, while he held the nut against the branch.

Enjoy,
Susan