To me, Steller Jays are magnificent birds. These beautiful birds are hard to miss as part of the Jay family with prominent crow-like characteristics. If you have watched them, you know they seem to always be in action and, like most Jays, tend to be comically bossy and aggressive. They will swoop in and scare all other birds away from our feeder, but they never seem to linger. But, their color has me captivated with iridescent blues to blacks that shimmer when the sun hits them right - such a beautiful creation.
I did a little research into their past. They are named after George Wilhelm Steller, who discovered them in 1740. Steller sailed from St Petersburg, Russia, to explore eastern Siberia and beyond. They landed on Alaska's Aleutian Islands to replenish supplies. Steller had ten hours to do scientific research during that stop, hoping to prove that the land was connected to North America and not Asia. He journaled various North American plants and animals – one of them being a crested black-and-blue jaybird, later called "Steller's Jay." This discovery helped to prove that the Aleutian Islands are ecologically connected to North America.
All that aside, I still get a thrill when my neighborhood Stellers make a stop in my backyard, and I hope you enjoy my new painting of one as much as I loved creating it.
