A windy-day Jay

I slept unforgivably late this morning - probably needed it, but really don't like sleeping so late.  Eventually, I hauled myself up and had my tea and cheerios (sounds so mundane, doesn't it) and headed outside for a little nature/camera therapy...only to be greeted by high winds.  That pretty much killed my notion of photographing an insect - although the temps were very nice, the wind...not so much.

Lucky for me, Eastern Blue Jays can be found almost any day of the year around our garden.  They cover large ranges for food so tend to pop in and out during the course of a day.  The blue jays that are here in the winter are probably not the same ones who are here in the summer as they do tend to move around a lot seasonally.  The jays in our yard now are rather timid and prone to taking flight at the slightest movement, so when this one stayed still on the cherry tree long enough for me to get a few shots, I felt lucky.  That a gust of wind caught his/her crest as I clicked the shutter ...even better.

Blue jays are members of the corvid family (think crows and ravens) so they are smart, loud, mischievous and highly entertaining.  I've seen them wait until a squirrel has buried a nut, then go pry it out of the ground and take off with it.  And I've seen them fit several whole peanuts in their crop/beak before taking flight.  As I said, entertaining. The remaining leaves on the cherry tree added some nice color to the shot, too.

Walked after lunch (half of the walk into a stiff headwind) then fiddled around with the Helicon Remote software.  I am getting more comfortable with it, and was fairly happy with one of the images I got today -  a hi-key stack of 41 images.  Still haven't got the focus complete from end to end, but getting better.  I anticipate a lot more playing with this over the bleak winter months.

I must say that I am feeling pretty emotionally beat up right now...the death of my BIL and the horrible acrimony around our elections have all taken a toll.  I'm finding it a little harder to laugh, and am having to work just a little harder to find the beauty around me.  Makes me quite grateful for Blip as this forces me to get my camera out every day, which takes my mind off of all the painful and hurtful things going on in the world. 

My message today...take a moment to say something kind to someone, whether a loved one or a total stranger.  And take a moment to give thanks for all of the brave men and women who have fought for our country's freedom - today is Veteran's Day in the US.

xo
Debbi