Hector the Handsome Devil is my favorite Blue Jay of the summer…
Working his wings off to feed his nestlings, just as a good Blue Jay does. Barging in for a beak full when others are working the suet feeder, screeching like a Red-tailed Hawk to scare ‘em off, so he can scoop up the max.
And such a handsome devil he is! But oh what a quest I pursued, to frame his good looks in a photograph. Day after day, I’d dash out whenever I glimpsed him, only to watch his vanishing act, just before my finger could press the shutter.
Until today, when I haul out my slick new Sony 600mm f4 Gmaster, treading softly outdoors to scan the trees for some worthy test subject…
OMG, here comes Hector! He meets my gaze and perches right on a garden post. Look at him posing so proudly, puffing his crest up into a pompadour, like some dashing avian Teddy Boy.
And the once-shy guy now turns his head for a perfect profile shot — freezing in place, so I can fire off a long burst before he goes back to work for the kids.
Thanks, Hector.
