Frosty Morning - Blue Jay

One of the most attractive rogues in the bird world is the blue jay. All members of the jay and crow family are both bold and sly. They are all aggressive opportunists and will even rob other birds' food or nests. They are also, however, clever about their own safety and are very alert to hide or flee when threatened. This is why they are so successful.

In North America, most species of the family are gray or black or some other dark colour, but the blue jay has very flashy wings and tail. They not only have black and white bars, but every variety of blue from gleaming turquoise to royal purple.

I have placed this bird in a young white pine on our property. Sometimes moisture laden, warm air moves north into the wintery landscape. At night the temperature may drop to below freezing leaving a frosty coating on most of the objects in the landscape. Morning reveals the world as a temporary fairyland. One or two hours of full sun melts and evaporates the frozen covering, and the world is back to normal.