The Blue Jay

Blue Jay (Image Courtesy of  Ron Bird at FreeDigitalPhotos.Net)

One of my absolute favorite backyard visitors is the Blue Jay.  In spite of their aggression (yes, I have been attacked by them when passing too close to one of their nests) and their unsavory habit of stealing other birds' babies for food, I still love to see them, and their antics never fail to amuse me.  My mother calls them "the big-mouthed" birds, and I have to admit that this description really does fit them.

Blue jays love sunflower seed.  They love mixed nuts even more and peanuts in the shell are one of their absolute favorites.  They are also fond of cat food, and when they find it scattered about, they will noisily call to all of their relatives until everyone has had a chance to get some.  When they find peanuts, they are usually more discrete, knowing that everyone loves peanuts (especially squirrels)! Instead of their usual raucous cry, they will make a cry that, for lack of a better description, sounds almost like they are saying "toodle-doodle-do."  In years past, when I would put the peanuts out for them, I would make my poor imitation of this call, and they would actually notice and come to get the peanuts.  If I put the peanuts out at a set time, they would hide nearby and call each other in the same way to let each other know the peanuts were about to magically appear.

I have heard that blue jays will imitate the noises hawks make in an attempt to scare other birds away from feeders, and I can vouch for this, having heard them do this myself.  When the other birds scattered in terror, they would swoop down, grab a mouthful of seed and hurry off.

Blue jays will also gang up on hawks in their family groups, gathering in various parts of the area where the hawk is and literally yelling at it until the hawk get tired of it and leave (whereupon the blue jays will pursue it and continue to make yell at it anyway).

I often wonder why I like them so much in spite of their awful behavior, and have to concede at least part of it must have to do with their looks.  On winter days, their plumage is like a little bit of blue sky, and can brighten even the gloomiest weather.  When you add their often comical antics into the mix (they are one of the few birds that literally make me laugh), you get an irresistible combination. No wonder they are one of everyone's favorite backyard visitors.