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!!! :-)

Nature clicks #125 - Dusky Grouse (?)

 

It is not easy to identify a grouse and I'm not 100 percent sure if I'm correct in this matter. According to iBird PRO, a terrific app that I use for bird identification, the Dusky Grouse and the Sooty Grouse were considered to be the same species, called the Blue Grouse. In 2006 the American Ornithologist's Union split them based on DNA evidence. Beside iBird PRO I use several books to identify my bird encounters. However, this time I'm not really sure and if you have a different opinion I like to hear from you and would appreciate any professional advice.

This photo took a lot of efforts to get the shot. This female grouse was not very shy but wandered constantly around between rocks and trees laying on the ground. The light was low and I had to dial in ISO400 in order to get a shutter speed of 1/60s. The D300s was handhold and I tried to stabilize the lens by leaning against a tree. I got several sharp images but my choice to publish this photo was based on the background. The Dusky Grouse rested briefly on a rock in front of some other boulders and no twig or dead branch disturbed the scene...