Those familiar with the surviving original prints of the Blue Jay will be surprised, startled even, by the bright colours that the originals would have exhibited on first publication. Great care has been taken to ensure that the colours are correct and are as would have been seen in the original watercolour and prints at the time of their making.

Interestingly, the original watercolour does not include either the vine leaves or the flowers but does leave spaces for them to painted in later, a process that was never completed. Instead, some shading  on the leaves was drafted in by Audubon (or possibly Joseph Mason) and that was it. A manuscript note in the lower right hand corner of the watercolour simply reads, "Plant ?". This begs the question, from where did Havell obtain the artwork for the flowers and leaves?