PHOTO OF THE DAY: BIRD-DAY

This bluejay enjoys lunch on a cool fall day earlier this week.

• Just like bluebirds, Jays have no blue pigments in their feathers. Instead, each feather barb has a thin layer of cells that absorb all wavelengths of color except blue. Only the blue wavelength is reflected and scattered, resulting in their blue appearance to our eyes.
• Many migrating Blue Jays reach their wintering grounds after natural food crops, such as acorns, may have already peaked. Whether they still cache a winter food supply is unknown at this time. Birdfeeders may play an important role for some of these birds.
• An old folktale says that the Blue Jay was yoked to a plow by a sparrow and the mark it left behind is still visible today on the Blue Jay’s neck and chest.
• The name jay has its possible origins from the Latin “gaius” meaning “gay or merry.”