Jayded

These blue jays which live up to 15 years and mate for life are clearly unafraid to let me know when they are in my backyard.  They call loudly when I step outside my deck, perhaps telling others that the big white bath-robed bird carrying that black box is back---yes, I do go outside in my PJs in this cold weather.  The jays have chased me all the way to the dock to remind me that the bird feeder is empty!  The only thing I see them duck away from at the feeder is the woodpecker who is pack'n a weapon.

They are not totally fearless of me because they hesitate diving to the feeders when I first arrive.  They watch me for some time before going after the sunflower seeds.  I have read that, like parrots, they can mimic sounds in the woods including squirrel chatter.  They also store nuts, usually acorns, just like squirrels.  They have been seen to stash over a thousand acorns for their winter larder. 

The seeds they pull from my feeders are placed carefully in their claws and pried open with their beak although I have seen them recently swallow sunflower seeds whole, unlike the woodpeckers that place the sunflower seeds into holes in the trees and then peck them open that way.

I found this anecdote on the Cornell bird site:  "Bird watchers sometimes notice Blue Jays "anting," rubbing their wings with ants, spreading a substance the insects secrete, and often losing their balance and falling over in the process. Scientists don't have a convincing explanation for this intriguing behavior yet, though they have suggested the secretions could help clean the feathers or soothe skin irritated by the molting process. Some have hypothesized that the secretions repel feather parasites, but experiments so far haven't found the evidence."  (Personally I think they saw and fell for one of those deceptive 'keep your feathers young' ads recommending the use of queen ant butter.)

At the end of the day there was this little fellow that clearly had almost lost a battle with a hawk or eagle.  He was not as nimble at the feeder or in landing on the branches due to his compromised shape.  I have read that they will re-grow these tail feathers at the next molt.

"I got away, didn't I?"

(If you like birding adventures may I be so bold as to suggest you read my posts -in three parts- about "Zorro," another bird friend, on my other blog.)