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| "Inciting a Riot!" Blue Jay Portrait - color pencil drawing - © Bruce A. Morrison |
It's
Artwork Friday! OK...I decided "Archival Works Friday" was too
constricting - I think this will give me some room to just try and post
something interesting once a month, whether it's new or old...sometimes
my brain just drops something out there and I say to myself "why not?"!
I'll try and broaden the original idea a bit and give a little back story on the work - the first Friday of
the month. I hope you'll find it
interesting!
Maybe this should be called "Blue
Jay Friday".
I just recently finished this Blue
Jay color pencil drawing, and readily admit that this is not an old piece...but the idea does stretch back many years...Blue
Jays and I.
I have always loved Blue Jays...these birds have
real character and are very intelligent; part of the bird family
"Corvdae", which includes crows, ravens and magpies.
My first personal “close encounter” with Blue Jays was when I was
maybe around 11 or 12. I had snuck up on one, on a friend's bird
feeder, and reached up and grabbed its tail...of course the jay let
out a loud squawk and flew off - leaving that stupid kid (me) with a
handful of tail feathers! Through the rest of the summer (until
molt in August) everyone in the neighborhood recognized this
"tailless" Blue Jay wherever it went! I even got the
feeling it was extra keen on avoiding "me"!
It's
funny how us humans place our own judgments and morals on wild
creatures...Blue Jays seem to get unjustly criticized at times.
Blue Jays are obvious when they're in the vicinity...noisy, constant
calling; often arriving in numbers, and usually dominating the bird
feeders. Some people think they're pushy or mean, so have a
personal dislike for them...placing human judgment on something is
really misguided; in doing so it is easy to miss the “larger”
picture...the entirety of these amazing and beautiful birds.
When
we hear jays around the acreage, we can very often discern what is
going on by the calling...the chatter of the airwaves if-you-will. I
can often hear when they are calling to alert to a good meal to be
had (at the feeders), whether they seem to be in a good or bad mood
or when they are on their own and pensive (see - there I go placing
human attributes myself!). I have often heard individuals do the
most pleasing quiet gurgles, and jingles, when they seem to think
they're alone and unobserved. When they're aware they're being
watched, they can be quite quiet and alert.
They're good at imitating other birds –
particularly Red-tailed Hawks. I often stop what I'm doing when
I'm outside, to look up for a Red-tail whenever I think I hear one
call...I can now spot “most” impersonations, but occasionally I
have to say out loud “good one”! Even a Red-tailed Hawk would be proud
of some of those attempts of jays (and even starlings, by-the-way) trying to imitate them!
I've found over the years how good they
are at spotting hawks and owls in the yard. This can be beneficial
to me if I have the camera handy. What better way to have a predator
alarm! Crows are also very good at this...a flock mobbing a hawk or
owl is a fairly common occurrence. And I've watched jays actually
bully some hawks they should be wary of...like a dangerous game of
cat and mouse. But they don't always come out unscathed.
A couple weeks back I was out in the
north pasture photographing some dew covered webs and suddenly a big
ruckus broke out up in the northwest corner of the backyard.
Blue Jays were having a fit...no, they were definitely upset and one
jay was clearly beyond distressed. I thought to myself “someone had just
become breakfast”. I made my way over to the yard as jays were
dispersing in different directions. Moments later a large mature
accipiter – had to have been at least a female Cooper's Hawk, flew
up out from underneath a low sweeping conifer – carrying away its
meal for the morning...Blue Jay feathers scattered about under the
tree verified the menu. Real life drama in the bird world!
I
really enjoy trying to photograph
Blue Jays. Their personalities really seem to shine at times,
especially when they get cranked up or mischievous! The color pencil
drawing at the top of this article says it all! I read many years back
that a flock of Blue Jays is called a "Riot" or a "Party"...hence the
subtitle for this small life-size Blue Jay Portrait - "Inciting a
Riot!"...gotta love these birds!
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| Blue Jay color pencil drawing from some 40 years ago...we all have to start somewhere! (prismacolor color pencil drawing © Bruce A. Morrison) |
This wasn't my fist Blue Jay drawing,
but probably my most expressive and detailed...my first color pencil
Blue Jay was done on archival/colored mat board, 40 some years
ago...I've done others in more recent years as well.
I'll part by saying enjoy “all” the
birds...they aren't little “people” and don't have our motives or
faults, no matter how endearing or disconcerting! Give 'em a break and enjoy watching every chance you get!
