Fledgling Pinyon Jay

Canon 7D, 500mm f/4 + 1.4x TC, monopod.

1/1250, f/8, ISO 500

Crop to 60% (10.8 of 18MP)

Pinyon Jays do everything in large flocks--they even nest in colonies. This morning I stumbled across a flock of Pinyon Jays (always noisy to begin with) with lots of loud, begging fledglings.

I have found these difficult birds to photograph. They are usually in a treetop, and the all-blue adults don't look that good against a blue sky bg. The juveniles are more gray than the adults, but I managed to get a non sky bg here. It was a challenge for me to get the white balance right on this, but I think I found the right spot for it. NR on the bg.

Comments and critiques appreciated. Please view larger version if possible.