Camera Critters - Bathing Blue Jay


On one of our hikes this week, my husband and I came across a quiet, sun-lit pool in which a blue jay was enjoying a morning bath.


bathing blue jay photo by Adrienne in OHio

bathing blue jay

bathing blue jay photo by Adrienne in OHio

When it had finished, the blue jay hopped up on that fallen log right in the patch of sunshine. It looked as though he were posing in a spotlight for us.

blue jay on a log over a creek - photo by Adrienne Zwart


My blogging friend Anya made this cute badge for her Camera Critters posts. Thanks to Misty Dawn, creator of Camera Critters, for hosting the meme that keeps me motivated to update this blog regularly!


Comments

Anya said…
Fantastic shot from the bleu jay :)
All shots are beautiful !!

ps: I did not create this badge,
I had also make a copy from a blogger ;)

Have a great weekend :)
Unknown said…
What great captures and story. Going through his morning bathing ritual and allowing you to watch. Obliging jay :)

My camera critter is here today
Susan Demeter said…
What a beautiful bird! Happy weekend, and thanks for stopping by :)
Andrienne: That is a wonderful nature capture of the Bluejay.
Lona said…
What fantastic shots! I have a hard time getting pictures of them here.It is really liking that bath.I want the old log ;-)
Beautiful shots Adrienne. It's so fun that you happened upon that spot right at that time to catch a cute moment. :)
Anonymous said…
Such a pretty spot and a wonderful bonus to see the blue jay taking a dip in the water. great post!
Cute Camera Critter, Adrienne... Love the Bluejay--and he seemed to pose for the camera.

Have a great Sunday.
Hugs,
Betsy
SquirrelQueen said…
What a wonderful group of photos, the Blue jay does seem to be posing for your camera. Great capture.

Have a great weekend,
SQ
Coy Hill said…
Your Bluejay is making quite a splash, great choice for Camera Critters!

Thanks for the information on the Monarch migration. I have noticed that the overall butterfly population seems to be quite low so far this year. My guess is that the cool wet spring & summer has had a negative effect.
Anonymous said…
They do take baths but I have never seen one in any of my baths or water bowls. I wonder why? I guess it doesn't seem natural enough to them. But all the other birds bathe in them.

Nice post. I really enjoyed the pictures.

Now, you and your friends can help me Make History. I am trying to see if it is possible to get 10,000 visitors in a short period of time on my new blog, Pick a Peck of Pixels. If you go there, please either become a ollower or leave a comment. Your visit will count and help me Make History. Pick a Peck of Pixels
Misty DawnS said…
Love this post Adrienne! You got some fantastic photos of 'bathtime' hehe
??? said…
Lovely photos of a gorgeus birds. He did know how to pose :)

You asked about land hermit crabs as pets: they are more work than many people think. They can reach an age of 50 years - the oldest crabs living in captivity are now over 30 years old and just half as big as they can get, which is coconut size for the most common species Coenobita clypeatus.

They are social and need to be kept in pairs (sex doesn't matter) or better in groups of at least four. Since they will need at least 2 inches of substrate, a freshwater bowl and a saltwater bowl as well as a food dish and hiding places/climbing toys and at least three extra shells per crab, I would start with a 20 gallon tank - that's big enough for all the supplies and the crabs still have room to run around and climb. Eventually, the crabs will grow out of the tank, though, and you'll need something bigger.

The crabs bury to molt and that means that you sometimes will see nothing of them for week or months when they get bigger and take longer to molt. Crabs of a group tend to molt all at the same time. The main thing is not to get bored and not to dig for them, disturbing them during a molt can be deadly.

All crabs are wildcaught, they cannot be bred in captivity. It's sometimes possible to adopt crabs when people want to rehome theirs.

Are they good pets for kids? Depends on the child, I guess. Many crabs don't enjoy being handled at all and they shouldn't be outside their crabitat for more than a few minutes since they need high humidity to breathe. They are a lot of fun to watch, though, and each has it's own personality. If you and your boys can live with an almost hands off-pets, then hermit crabs may be the right pet for you.

Here are some links where you can learn more about them:
http://www.crabstreetjournal.com/xoops/
http://hermitcrabassociation.com
http://www.hermitcrabpatch.com/Keys-To-Hermit-Crab-Survival-a/139.htm
(see the Care Information category)
http://landhermitcrabs.com/eve?cdra=Y&s=700101321
Willard said…
Adrienne, A beautiful bird, in a beautiful setting. Well done!
Unknown said…
Your little bird is cute, cute, cute : ). Such a fun picture. Of course he was posing. He knew you are a super star photographer.
Kerri Farley said…
What a lovely bathing beauty!
Aly Beth said…
Those were amazing shots!
That bird is incredible!

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