There was a shrill sound coming from the woods. I was very disturbed. I thought it must be a huge bird looking for a prey. To my astonishment, while I was looking in the direction of the sound, I found a Blue Jay. Someone mentioned it to me the day before that there are few blue jays in these woods. A Blue Jay! wow ! yes it was a Blue Jay. A very beautiful bird in deed. I have spotted few of them in Washington DC last summer. Haven't had a glimpse of them yet in this season. Apparently, the Blue Jay's coloration is not derived by pigments, but is the result of light refraction due to the internal structure of the feathers; if a Blue Jay feather is crushed, the blue disappears as the structure is destroyed.
