Some birds become favourites because they're colourful. Others because they're easy to spot. Jays are neither of those things. In fact, for quite a long time, we heard jays far more often than we ever saw them.

Our jay story began at Neptune Wood, where Little Leopard found a beautiful blue feather on the woodland floor. It looked as though someone had carefully painted bright blue stripes onto it. We had no idea at the time that it belonged to a jay.

Not long afterwards, we heard a strange screeching call coming from the trees. If you've never heard a jay before, it's not the sort of sound you'd expect from such a beautiful bird. It sounds a bit like a rusty gate being opened, or someone dragging a chair across a floor. We searched and searched but couldn't find the bird making the noise.

Then, a few weeks later, we heard the same call while exploring Lye Valley Nature Reserve. This time, we followed the sound through the trees, stopping every few metres to listen again. Eventually we spotted the culprit perched on a branch above us. Little Leopard was completely enchanted.

After all that searching, there it was: soft pink-brown feathers, a black moustache-like marking on its face, and that stunning flash of electric blue on its wing. It felt a bit like finding treasure. Ever since then, jays have been his favourite bird.