New Year Wish

 

The New Year started the same way as the old one ended, with lots of snow coming down and cold temperatures. I had a technical glitch with some software yesterday, so this post is actually a day late. I like to thank all of you who followed my blog in 2013 or just stopped here once in a while. Thank you for your encouragement, your comments, and your “Likes” at Facebook or in my other galleries. I’m happy you are out there and inspire me to keep writing this blog. Our wildlife and environment needs utmost attention in a world of unlimited exploitation of resources and I hope this blog can still create some awareness for the beauty that is out there and that needs our protection. Joan and I wish all of you a wonderful year 2014.

Nature clicks #141 - Blue Jay

 

This is an image I tried to make all winter long. The Blue Jays are extremely shy and skittish. They move fast and sit usually in a particular spot no longer than a second or two.

Not that I need a bird book to identify these birds, their size and color make it very easy, but I still like to learn more about any animal we come across here. I don't get paid for what I'm writing now, nor do I get a freebie, but I really like to recommend an app for iPhone and iPad that I use all the time. I know there are some nature lovers that read my blog because of the information about nature and not so much about the photography facts. This is for you guys (well, for the photographers too ;-)  )!! If an iOS application ever deserves a five star rating it would be iBird PRO 6.1 (at least for me!). This is a great field guide to have with you all the time.

Why do I mention this? I just found a fact that I didn't know but thought it is quite interesting. "The Blue Jay's coloration is not derived by pigments, but is the result of light refraction due to the internal structure of the feathers; if a Blue Jay's feather is crushed, the blue disappears as the structure is destroyed." (source: iBird PRO 6.1). I didn't know this until today but I always wondered about the good luminosity of the blue feathers in any picture I previously made, no matter how bad the light was. Oh gosh, I love science!!! :-)