Steller's Jay Gallery

Steller's Jay on the trail to Death Canyon in Grand Teton National Park

Big Hair

I saw this Steller’s jay on the trail to Death Canyon in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park. We also have them here in Oregon, I rarely see them in our neighborhood but they are more common in the forests. I saw a handful when hiking in the Columbia River Gorge last weekend but they were all too far off for pictures. Given how often I see them, I’ve not been too successful photographing jays of any species, either the blue jays from when I lived in the east or the scrub and Steller’s jays of the Northwest.

Steller's jay in the trees at Mount Rainier National Park

Catch Me If You Can

I found this beauty near the National Park Inn at Mount Rainier National Park. I was mesmerized by the bird and forgot to check my shutter speed, so I didn't realize how little of the afternoon light was filtering through this grove of trees. I was using fill flash to help illuminate the bird's vibrant blue feathers, but the shutter speed was low enough that you can see a bit of head movement in the bill and feathers. I rather like the effect, the catchlight in the eye is still sharp from the short flash duration, and the rest of the bird was sharp thanks to the image stabilization in the lens.

Part of the reason that I like the slight head movement is that I've had a hard time photographing these jays in the wild, they seem to move just out of camera reach before I can get their pictures. So to me, the movement adds a playfulness to the image that won't be there for most viewers, as if the bird is saying "Catch me if you can ..."

Steller's jay in Yellowstone National Park

A Little Blue

Drive along Yellowstone's Madison River and you may find traffic stopped to watch the elk herds that often congregate near the river. Drive a little further towards West Yellowstone and you might see bald eagles in the treetops or feeding in the river.

On this particular day, however, traffic flowed freely as there were no elk or eagles to be seen. It was a little flash of blue that brought me to a stop when I pulled into a picnic area. This stellar jay was working the base of the trees, never going more than a few feet up the trunk.