This spry bird is endemic to the Channel Islands of California, differentiated from the mainland California Scrub-Jay by its darker cheek and deeper blue. Unlike their raven cousins on the islands, these birds are not ubiquitous thieves (but retain a knowing look.)

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Creating this was a valuable lesson in patience, since I had finalized an earlier version only to find untenable flaws in the perspective and physics of the bird. Putting hours into the second, more accurate rendition was frustrating but satisfying.

The portrait species honors the 2018 Conference of the Western Field Ornithologists in Ventura, CA. 

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