Birds Blue Jay-Bad Hair Day

[dgphoto8]

Had this charming bird visit our feeder. Nice to get a blue jay with its crest up, but really...
We all got a laugh in our house over this bird

• Canon EOS R5
• RF800mm F11 IS STM
• 800.0 mm
• ƒ/11
• 1/800 sec
• ISO 3200

A profile shot...

• Canon EOS R5
• RF800mm F11 IS STM
• 800.0 mm
• ƒ/11
• 1/800 sec
• ISO 3200

The jay's head is the only part that seems to be molting:

• Canon EOS R
• RF100-400mm F5.6-8 IS USM
• 400.0 mm
• ƒ/8
• 1/1000 sec
• ISO 1600

And almost three weeks later, more feathers have fallen off the head but no other visible molting has occurred. None of the other flock of 4-6 blue jays that frequent our yard seem to be molting at all yet.

• Canon EOS R7
• RF100-400mm F5.6-8 IS USM
• 225.0 mm
• ƒ/8
• 1/1250 sec
• ISO 800

 

[jcass]

I think I feel him. He's an older Blue Jay and balding. Some respect and sympathy may be warranted. Btw, his beard needs trimmed too. Nice visit and great captures! The detail on the closeups is incredible.

 

[AKVet]

Nice sharp photos! Hope he gets his feathers back.

 

[MikeZ]

Great shots. Other than reach, how would you compare the RF 800 to the RF 100-400?

 

[dgphoto8]

Great shots. Other than reach, how would you compare the RF 800 to the RF 100-400?

Thanks. I have not had the RF100-400 that long. From an image quality perspective they are both close anecdotally (I've never systematically tested), but I think the RF800 might have a slight edge. The RF100-400 does have more available autofocus area, so when I do get close to frame filling shots it is easier to compose and focus with the 100-400 than with the 800. But overall I'm continually amazed at how well both lenses work given their prices

 

[MikeZ]

Thanks for the feedback. I recently picked-up the 100-400 but haven't really had the chance to fully try it out. I went with the 100-400 for the zoom capabilities and the slight edge in aperture range, but began to have envy over the reach of the 800. Good to hear that they seemingly have comparable IQ.