My Little Friend

Original Fine Art Photography and digital artwork by Donna Kennedy...420221

A year has passed so I feel I can tell you the story of my Little... more

by Donna Kennedy

Title

My Little Friend

Artist

Donna Kennedy

Medium

Photograph - Photographs

Description

Original Fine Art Photography and digital artwork by Donna Kennedy...420221

A year has passed so I feel I can tell you the story of my "Little Friend". I used to go to Rancho San Rafael Park almost daily and one day I noticed a Steller's Jay hanging around me. I knew they loved peanuts, so the next day when I went back to the park I brought a pocket full of raw peanuts in case I saw him again. As I was walking around seeing what I could shoot with my camera, here comes the Jay landing in a nearby tree. I threw a peanut down and in seconds he flew down and grabbed it, and this started a FIVE year friendship! Every time I would go to the park my "Friend" would always find me, and he would follow me around while I was doing my photography. Sometimes I would sit on a park bench and put peanuts down, and he would come right next to me, get a peanut and crack it open right near my leg with no fear. I tried for the longest time to get him to eat out of my hand, with no success. Every Spring when he had fledglings, he would always bring them to me so I could feed them too. Many times he would follow me to the parking lot and land on my side mirror on the car, so I always left a pile of peanuts for him to eat. Last Summer he was doing his usual molting, and come August when I saw him he had not recovered and still did not have many feathers. I sat down on a bench to feed him and see if he would eat out of my hand, and to my surprise, HE DID! I fed him 7 different times from my hand that day, it only took 5 years! I went back the next day to visit him again, and he was nowhere to be found. I called for him, walked the whole park and did not see him. I left that day with a heavy heart and decided I would go back the next morning and hopefully he would come flying to me like he has done over the years. I couldn't wait to get there the next day, but again I was saddened as there was no sign of him. I kept going back for the next few months, and had to come to terms that "my friend" was gone. I think he knew it was his time, and that's why he finally ate out of my hand, it was the last time I saw him. I feel blessed that a wild creature was a friend to me, and that he trusted me. I am so glad I have so many beautiful photos of him, which I will forever cherish. I don't know how old he was when I first met him, but read Jays live to be around 12 years. I know he was just a bird, and some will think I am being silly, but he was so smart and special, he was "My Beautiful Little "Friend"...

Thank You to the Administrators that Featured this photo in the following Groups:
-Greeting Cards For All Occasions
-Wisconsin Flowers and Scenery
-Wings
-Old Masters Photographers and Digital Arts
-Images That Excite You
-Visions of Spring
-Wildlife One A Day
-Small Birds of the World
-Fuzzy Warm and Soft
-Your Story of Art
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Uploaded

September 11th, 2015