Day 145: As much as I envy the east its iconic cardinals, our Steller's Jays are gorgeous in their own right. Substantially larger than cardinals, their intense dark blue is an optical illusion. They are actually brown, and only appear blue due to the way light is refracted by the microstructure of their feathers. That makes you wonder how they look to other birds, creatures whose eyes perceive far more colours than our own. In any event, a treeful of Steller's is quite a sight to behold, and the snowy weather has brought them out in dozens, chattering and scolding from the branches of the contorted filbert and mountain-ask closest to the feeders. "Empty again! We want more seed!" and dutifully, I lay my handwork aside to answer the call. It's nice to know I'm appreciated.
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