One-Eyed Jack/Jacquie?

We often see this adult Steller's Jay on our deck, and it's gradually getting used to us, allowing us to photograph it a little more closely. Perhaps this bird's apparent ease around us is due to it appearing to be blind in its right eye, and thus not as aware of our presence. As I don't know whether it's a male or a female, I'll use J for its name here.

I've enlarged several photos to look more closely at J's right eye, and it appears to me that the nictitating ("blinking") membrane, often referred to as the third eyelid, does not move at all. Hinged at the inner side of the eye, the nictitating membrane sweeps across birds' eyes to protect them from wind, bright light, or potential dangers such as sharp twigs. 

J's faulty membrane has little wrinkles in it, so perhaps it fused to the eye  before J hatched. Despite this significant handicap, the bird has reached adulthood and seems to be coping well!

Once again, I spent several hours over the course of a day watching the birds and small mammals (squirrels and a tiny rabbit) who share this space with us. They're endlessly fascinating!

I won't be able to do that on Tuesday, as I have a day full of errands and appointments, so I'm doubly glad that I had the time to enjoy them today.

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