Figure 1 – Blue Jay, Jan 13, 2018, Sudbury, MA. (c) DE Wolf 2018

Figure 1 is a Eastern Blue Jay, Cyanocitta cristata,  laughing at me this week in the snow. The native American blue jay spirit was in many ways akin to the Norse God Loki. He was the joker, always making trouble, always the trickster.

There is a Chinook Legend called Blue Jay Takes a Wife., in which Blue Jay is told to choose a wife among the dead and then spends time trying to resurrect her. When he finally succeeds the father of his bride demands that he cut off his beautiful hair as a gift for his new in-laws. Blue Jay refuses. Instead he turns back into a bird and flies back to the land of the dead and his bride drops dead. It is a story of failed resurrection – unlike the Legend of the Buffalo Dance. The Trickster’s magic is not strong enough.

In the summer Massachusetts is a bit of a playground. The old legends are muffled out by modernity. But in winter the old stories are carried by harsh winds. The birds, magical and real, struggle as they have for thousands of year. The spirits of the first peoples echo everywhere for anyone who cares to listen.

Canon T2i with EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens at 310 mm, ISO 800, Aperture Priority AE Mode 1/200th sec at f/7.1 with +2/3 exposure compensation.