Number five: The Blue Jay

Common in eastern and central states, Blue Jays are extending their range to the Northwest. The proportion of jays that migrate may be less than 20 percent.

They lower their head crests when hanging out with their flock or tending to the nestlings.

When approaching birdfeeders, jays frequently mimic hawk calls. This may either warn other jays of a hawk's presence or clear the feeder of other species, who are deceived into believing that a hawk is approaching.

In the wild, jays consume acorns, nuts, seeds, eggs, nestlings, dead or dying adult birds and small vertebrates.

Independent nestlings are often found up to 15 feet from the nest and are mistakenly thought to be abandoned. If restored to or near the nest, the parents will resume feeding the nestling. The entire brood leaves the nest together at approximately three weeks old but will continue to be fed by the parents for up to two months.
http://www.allaboutbirds.org

Number Four: Largest eye of any land animal

The Ostrich does not bury his head in the sand .  .  .
it just looks that way when in a defensive behavior.

This ratite (flightless) is the world's largest bird at 220 pounds and 6 to 9 feet tall. Ostriches don't need to drink - they generate water internally from the plants they eat.  Hunted in the wild nearly to extinction in the 18th century, ostriches are now farmed for meat, leather and feathers. One ostrich egg weighs as much as two dozen chicken eggs.

Ostriches can sprint up to 43 miles an hour with a 10 to 16 foot stride. A kick from a clawed, two-toed foot can kill a human or a lion. See an Ostrich on the run:
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=1r-b8uY7C9E&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D1r-b8uY7C9E

Eye number three . . .

The much maligned seagull.

During a recent Giants game, scores of seagulls began swooping over the field in the middle innings, releasing their ordnance from above. Usually a baseball fan tries to catch any falling object that comes his way, but this was not one of those times. Most nights there are at least 500 gulls in the left-field bleachers alone.

After the game, in a matter of minutes, gulls rip through every discarded food scrap. Fans have suggestions about what to do: umbrella hats, owl statues, hawk statues, hawk calls over the loudspeaker, bobblehead hawks, a platoon of shot gunners in boats on McCovey Cove. One kid said everyone should bring a Super Soaker and fire at will.

"Without the seagulls," said one of the many custodians, "there would be no seagull poop. And without that, there would be a lot less of us."
Thanks to Steve Rubenstein, SF Chronicle

Did you recognize eye number two?

A Great Horned Owl's distinctive colors and patterns serve as very effective camouflage. Soft feather edges cut the air like a comb, allowing for a silent, stealthy attack. Efficient predators, even in total darkness, owls also rely upon their sensitive directional hearing. A family of seven owlets requires a daily diet of 100 small rodents.

http://www.owlpages.com/articles.php?section=owl+physiology&title=Feathers

Who correctly identified eye number one?

It's the bald eagle, chosen as our national emblem in 1782. Bald eagles live up to thirty years. They eat fish and carrion, can lift four pounds, are strong swimmers and fly at 30 to 35 mph to an altitude of 10,000 feet. And what majestic good looks: weighing in at 10 to 14 pounds with a wing span of six feet. Removed from the Federal Endangered Species List in 2007, today there exist about 9,700 pairs of bald eagles. 

http://www.fws.gov/pacific/ecoservices/documents/bald_eagle_fact_sheet.pdf

The eyes have it

Okay, this is a test, all you bird lovers out there

Who can correctly identify the type of bird by eye alone?

 Each week, I'll reveal one complete portrait.  

The completed series will be shown and for sale this summer at the Santa Fe Art Show presented by the Morgan Oakes Gallery.

 My first show! I'm stoked.

Taxidermy Bear @ Wildcare, San Rafael