No, not my flight, though when I was young I did think I’d like to fly a plane, and when I was even younger I used to dream that I could fly like a bird.

No, this morning I put some peanuts in the flat feeder, and that quickly brought in my merry band of noisy bluejays. I swear they sit up in the trees and wait for me to fill the feeders. They always arrive immediately and with great fanfare.

And while I was standing at the window, watching them come and go in the morning light, I realized I could try to capture their flight. They were much too busy hogging the peanuts to notice me.

You need a very short shutter speed to stop those wings in mid-flight, at least 1/2000 per second. If there is sunlight that’s easier to accomplish.

I took 84 images before the sun was hidden by the clouds of the latest incoming storm front. Out of that barely a handful are passable. But I learned a lot and some day I will try again.

I’m sharing them with you now, because bluejays, no matter the fact they are obnoxious, are truly beautiful.

Even if they are little pigs.
March 26, 2026 at 9:23 pm
They are obnoxious because they are so smart. They’re part of the crow family. Keep up the excellent work!
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March 27, 2026 at 8:12 pm
I didn’t know they were part of the crow family. But that makes sense!
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March 26, 2026 at 9:28 pm
These are wonderful, Dawn. The coming and going photo, especially. Wow!!
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March 27, 2026 at 8:13 pm
That one made me smile when I saw it too!
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March 26, 2026 at 9:57 pm
I love how their feathers and tail are fanned out like that, showing their beautiful weather. That one piggy Blue Jay sounds like he/she is related to a Chipmunk hoarding all those peanuts. Yay – I see some little buds on the trees. It felt like Spring ’til we dropped 20+ degrees when the cold front rolled in.
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March 27, 2026 at 8:14 pm
Yep, we had spring for a minute there.
I think the birds put their tails down like a rudder when they’re almost ready to land somewhere. They were fun to watch. Today was sunny and I could have watched them some more, but I had too much to do!
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March 27, 2026 at 9:07 pm
Spring might be back next week – hopefully. I have always been fascinated how birds with large wingspans tuck their wings against their body when at rest, then when they take flight, I’m amazed how large those wings really are.
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March 27, 2026 at 12:10 am
That last photo, when I right-click it and “Open image in new tab” so that it’s larger, it looks like the bird is wearing glasses. Goofy, huh. 🙂
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March 27, 2026 at 8:15 pm
That IS funny!
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March 27, 2026 at 6:46 am
Nice captures, Dawn. They are beautiful little pigs! 😀
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March 27, 2026 at 8:15 pm
Yes they are.
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March 27, 2026 at 8:09 am
Great in-flight photos, Dawn! They highlight all the lovely shades of blue in their feathers.
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March 27, 2026 at 8:16 pm
Each bird has a lot of different blues in it’s feathers, that’s for sure. Just beautiful. They don’t sit still long around here, so I might as well figure out how to capture them in flight!
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March 27, 2026 at 10:39 am
Wowsah, what pictures! I’m sure those jays are keeping an eye on you.
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March 27, 2026 at 8:17 pm
I’m sure they are. Along with all the other birds that arrive as soon as I go back inside, sometimes sooner. But the JAYS announce the arrival of seed to the world loudly from the top of trees and then a whole bunch of them show up! I used to have a band of 5, but I can’t count them all now.
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March 27, 2026 at 3:44 pm
They can be noisy and obnoxious, but that blue color is striking! I love how they wait for you to load up the feeders. I think you’ve done a great job capturing them in flight — I suspect the winter bareness provides an ideal background to make their colors pop.
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March 27, 2026 at 8:18 pm
That blue is just so beautiful.
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March 27, 2026 at 8:51 pm
I love them. Inspiring me to try my hand at some bird photography.
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March 28, 2026 at 5:53 am
They ARE beautiful. Wish they would be kinder. Don’t they know they can be beautiful AND nice? 😊
Hopefully, since you fill their bellies with peanuts, they let the little birds have your other seeds.
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March 28, 2026 at 10:46 am
Wow, fun experiment! Great way to play with photography.
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