NATURE CLICKS #331 - BLUE JAY

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens, tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head, DX crop mode     

Getting close to a Blue Jay has always been a challenge and I have mastered it only a few times so far. They are one of the most skittish birds we have in our woods. Earlier this week I set up my tripod and watched a bunch of Goldfinches through the lens. I didn’t really hide but tried to stand motionless behind the camera. The bird landed in the same tree where the finches had perched. They of course flew away, but I didn’t really mind. The late afternoon sun hit the jay just right. The noise of the camera’s shutter release made it suddenly aware about my presence. The Blue Jay took off but the goldfinches returned shortly after.

NATURE CLICKS #257 - BLUE JAY

I still like taking advantage of this great reflector on the ground, called snow (my friends over in Germany didn’t even know how to spell it this winter… ;-)  ). While working on other projects this weekend, it was easy to get back to the tripod ones in a while and work with the birds that enjoyed the sun as much as we did. I never got such great light on a Blue Jay outside of winter yet. It didn’t need any color boosting help by a flash light to make this photo. The Blue Jay is probably one of the most difficult to shoot birds that we have here. Any little bit of noise or sudden movement makes them fly away. I haven’t been as close as I would like, hence the image is slightly cropped. Room for improvement, as I call it…