Steller's Jay

This is a Steller's Jay - one of the most common birds we have up here.  Instantly recognisable by his special crew cut, and iridescent blue body.  They hop about and make their presence known from all the fir trees we have here, as they are not afraid to shout at you if they feel like it.  They are named for the German naturalist who discovered them.
Their voice is not very nice and it's often loud with a shreeka shreeka noise.  They also seem to have no idea how to build nests.  They simply stuff branches together where they can, and often these fall down.    Strangely they are not often found at the east end of the valley, but there are not so many trees out there.
Nonetheless, they are very cheerful little fellows and enrich our lives throughout the seasons.