{"id":132994,"date":"2024-08-24T02:48:39","date_gmt":"2024-08-24T07:48:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=132994"},"modified":"2024-08-23T14:51:38","modified_gmt":"2024-08-23T19:51:38","slug":"young-blue-jay-pin-feathers-and-growth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/08\/24\/young-blue-jay-pin-feathers-and-growth\/","title":{"rendered":"Young Blue Jay, Pin Feathers, And Growth"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I had this young Blue Jay in my viewfinder, I could clearly see that it was immature. The pin feathers and new growth told me everything I needed to know. About the jay’s age, anyway!<\/p>\n

\"Teen-agedTeen-aged or immature Blue Jay \u2013 Canon R7, f8, 1\/500, ISO 1250, Canon 100-400mm at 349mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I haven’t yet processed quite a few images I took earlier this breeding season of very young, freshly fledged Blue Jays, but here I am sharing teen-aged jays. This immature jay is probably from a second brood, or maybe even a third brood, for the year.<\/p>\n

The new pin feathers, with their white sheaths still attached, in this jay photo reminded me of gray eyebrows on people that have gone wild. The pin feathers on the neck? Maybe some kind of jewelry, or an ascot.<\/p>\n

\"YoungYoung Blue Jay showing new feather growth and pin feathers \u2013 Canon R7, f8, 1\/500, ISO 1250, Canon 100-400mm at 349mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

This young jay announced their arrival on the vine by calling loudly. Jays of all species seem to be boisterous, so that didn’t surprise me.<\/p>\n

The young Blue Jays pose in this photo gave me a great view of their new feather growth, including the pin feathers on their face, above and below their bill, and on their throat.<\/p>\n

\"YoungYoung Blue Jay showing new feather growth and pin feathers close up \u2013 Canon R7, f8, 1\/500, ISO 1250, Canon 100-400mm at 349mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I decided to share a larger version of the same image, cropped to highlight the wispy new feathers and the pin feathers as well. They are easier to see in this enlarged crop.<\/p>\n

Before long, this immature Blue Jay<\/span><\/a> will look very much like the adults of this jay species. I\u2019m enjoying seeing the adorably bossy younger version of them now.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a><\/span> to see more of my Blue Jay photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When I had this young Blue Jay in my viewfinder, I could clearly see that it was immature. The pin feathers and new growth told me everything I needed to know.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":132984,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[13950,27,13602,13951],"tags":[13965,13604,3194,13603,4608,13981,13931,3790,4067,6792,2714,4641,13964,2315,14250,8018,13966,4193],"class_list":["post-132994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arkansas","category-avian","category-blue-jays","category-sebastian-county","tag-arkansas","tag-blue-jay","tag-corvids","tag-cyanocitta-cristata","tag-feather","tag-feeder","tag-garden","tag-growth","tag-immature","tag-jay","tag-jays","tag-pin-feathers","tag-sebastian-county","tag-summer-3","tag-teen-aged","tag-urban","tag-yard","tag-young"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/blue-jay-young-pin-feathers-mia-mcpherson-4326.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-yB4","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":113924,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/06\/22\/young-blue-jay-upside-down-at-a-feeder\/","url_meta":{"origin":132994,"position":0},"title":"Young Blue Jay Upside Down At A Feeder","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 22, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Given how odd spring has been for me personally, it seemed appropriate for me to photograph a young Blue Jay hanging upside down on the first day of summer.","rel":"","context":"In "Arkansas"","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Young Blue Jay upside down portrait, Sebastian County, Arkansas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/blue-jay-young-upside-down-portrait-mia-mcpherson-1483.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/blue-jay-young-upside-down-portrait-mia-mcpherson-1483.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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"Arkansas"","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Young Blue Jay portrait, Sebastian County, Arkansas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/blue-jay-young-arkansas-mia-mcpherson-4840.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/blue-jay-young-arkansas-mia-mcpherson-4840.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/blue-jay-young-arkansas-mia-mcpherson-4840.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/blue-jay-young-arkansas-mia-mcpherson-4840.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":142407,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2025\/03\/31\/blue-jay-with-nesting-material-in-arkansas\/","url_meta":{"origin":132994,"position":2},"title":"Blue Jay With Nesting Material In Arkansas","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 31, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"It has been wonderfully amazing for me to see and photograph eastern birds again, including this Blue Jay with nesting material in their bill here in Arkansas.","rel":"","context":"In "Arkansas"","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult Blue Jay with nesting material in Arkansas, Sebastian County","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/blue-jay-nesting-material-mia-mcpherson-1889.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/blue-jay-nesting-material-mia-mcpherson-1889.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/blue-jay-nesting-material-mia-mcpherson-1889.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/blue-jay-nesting-material-mia-mcpherson-1889.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":136344,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/11\/06\/blue-jay-looking-right-at-me\/","url_meta":{"origin":132994,"position":3},"title":"Blue Jay Looking Right At Me","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"November 6, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"I spent years being Blue Jay deprived, so I am really relishing seeing, hearing, and photographing them now. Having Blue Jays in my viewfinder is truly a joy!","rel":"","context":"In "Arkansas"","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Blue Jay giving a head on look, Sebastian County, Arkansas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/blue-jay-head-on-autumn-mia-mcpherson-4450.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/blue-jay-head-on-autumn-mia-mcpherson-4450.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/blue-jay-head-on-autumn-mia-mcpherson-4450.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/blue-jay-head-on-autumn-mia-mcpherson-4450.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":143095,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2025\/04\/25\/spring-blue-jay-photos-from-arkansas\/","url_meta":{"origin":132994,"position":4},"title":"Spring Blue Jay Photos From Arkansas","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 25, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"It\u2019s easy for me to be delighted to take Blue Jay photos because I went so long without seeing or photographing them while I lived in Utah.","rel":"","context":"In "Arkansas"","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pair of Blue Jays in a pear tree, Sebastian County, Arkansas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/blue-jay-spring-arkansas-pair-mia-mcpherson-7931.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/blue-jay-spring-arkansas-pair-mia-mcpherson-7931.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/blue-jay-spring-arkansas-pair-mia-mcpherson-7931.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/blue-jay-spring-arkansas-pair-mia-mcpherson-7931.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":113747,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/06\/11\/blue-jay-portrait-in-arkansas\/","url_meta":{"origin":132994,"position":5},"title":"Blue Jay Portrait In Arkansas","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 11, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"For some people, a Blue Jay portrait might be a common image to capture, but for me, it's not common at all. This particular one was taken in Arkansas, not Utah.","rel":"","context":"In "Arkansas"","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Blue Jay portrait with a sunflower seed, Sebastian County, Arkansas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/blue-jay-close-up-mia-mcpherson-0104.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/blue-jay-close-up-mia-mcpherson-0104.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/blue-jay-close-up-mia-mcpherson-0104.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/blue-jay-close-up-mia-mcpherson-0104.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132994","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132994"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132994\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/132984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=132994"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}