Jay flying into the garden

I am still extremely busy preparing for the Neighbourhood Plan events starting on Saturday.  I spent the morning hunting through the various pictures I've taken to illustrate the themes and the key sites in Stroud that the exhibition needs.  I had to go at lunchtime to the council office to show my selections to Camilla as she is organising the displays which need to be shown in three distinct venues at different times.

I made myself another strong coffee and while i was downstairs waiting for it to brew I picked up my camera and went into the garden for a few minutes to watch the birds.  I sat quietly, but only a few of the least fearful of the usual suspects came to visit the feeders.  I set the camera for high speed  recording as I wanted to catch their flight although the light wasn't very good under the heavy cloud cover.

I went int to get my coffee and brought it outside to sit on the patio.  I was delighted to find it was warm enough to sit with just a fleece on and not my heavy duty coat.  A very good sign.  But after a bout ten minuteds i went inside to get ready to go down town.  When I was standing at my desk loading my laptop I looked out ans suddenly saw a jay fly into the sycamore tree at the end of the garden.  I grabbed my camera again although I had only just put it away, and was pleased that the setting were all ready for a bird in flight. I rushed downstairs and tried to get a picture of the jay which had by now flown into the rhus tree where the feeders were.  I didn't dare to open the double glazed patio doors because I thought it would frighten it.  Then before a minute had gone by it flew off back into the sycamore at the bottom of the garden.  

I risked opening the door very slowly and I didn't scare it.  I lined up on the jay high in the tree, but actually on the same level as I was because of the steeply sloping garden.  Then it flew and I grabbed this picture which is not sharp but it does show it flying and its beautiful feathers, particularly the blue ones on its wings.

It went to the feeder but only stayed a couple of seconds before returning to the big tree.  Then it flew back and it was only when it landed that I noticed its mate had joined it in the rhus tree.  I got me more pictures of them both in the tree and separately but didn't get any more of them in flight.  Something disturbed them, and they are very shy birds, and they flew away.  But I have now seen them regularly so I will try to get closer and be better prepared on another day when I have more time.  But it did make my morning to see them for so long.