I know, I know, some people hate blue jays. They’re mean and they eat baby birds. Well, sometimes they do but so do those cute little wrens and sparrows and you really don’t want to know what the squirrels and chipmunks are up to when you’re not watching. Blue jays have their bad qualities but they are also so nosy and noisy that they save many birds and small animals from certain death with their frantic mobbing and calling out of predators like hawks and cats. They are also very smart and pretty funny if you spend much time watching them. They have many different calls and can mimic both hawks and cats, which serves them well when the feeders are crowded. Anyway, I rest my case. I get a kick out of blue jays and tried to show one here as the beautiful, elegant bird they can be.

Printed on archival Epson matter paper this print is from one of my watercolors and part of a larger series I did featuring portrait heads of birds to our area. The image area is approximately 7.5 x 9″ and is printed on an 8.5 x 11″ paper so there is plenty of room for matting.