How do you get this close to a Jay?

How do you get this close to a Jay? They’re famously reclusive birds, often only seen after they’ve seen you, and showing you a flash of their retreating rump as they disappear into the foliage of distant trees.

Spectacular birds, aren’t they? They’ve got distinctive eyes with concentric rings of feathers around them, and a characteristic moustache, a malar stripe, which is a dense black. It’s the black of their cousins, the Carrion Crows, Rooks and Ravens.

Jay - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Here it is in a springtime tree. What can I do to get better photographs and see it in proper detail?

Jay - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

As it approaches I can see its striped crest and beautiful dusky pink head.

Jay - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

The answer to getting close to Jays is a combination of having a poor acorn season the previous year, meaning they are hungry and more adventurous, and my very secret ingredient. Can you guess what it is?

Jay - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

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