Monday, November 14, 2011

Blue Jays In My Yard

It's been a little difficult to find blog material lately.  Or, I suppose, more truthfully, I simply haven't been out and about with my camera very much the past few weeks.  It is the very end of the fall migration here.  We've still got a lot of Canada Geese - but since half of Boundary Dam reservoir stays ice-free, thousands of Canadas, Mallards and a few other waterfowl species stay for the winter. 

My attention has switched to birds in my yard.  I lined up one configuration of winter feeder stations a couple days ago as we were forecast to get some snow (we had some a week or so ago; most of that has melted and we did not get any of this last front moving past - north of us).

To my delight, four Blue Jays (Cyanocitta cristata) spent a great deal of time at said feeders yesterday.  Too bad I hadn't washed the windows - I had to photograph from inside the house. 


I saw five Blue Jays flitting between the neighbourhood spruce trees 8-10 days ago.  The way they were acting makes me think they are migrating birds rather than some locals expanding territory. 


I'm in the prairies.  No big stands of trees around here, only a few in old farm yards and here and there in the towns.  No oaks to speak of.


Blue Jays are uncommon enough to be a bit of a big deal when they come around.


Over the last few days, at least one announces arrival around 8:30 a.m.  with a last call around 4:35 p.m.  Darkness rolls in by 5:30 p.m. (come to think of it, the shortened day light is probably behind a lot of my current ennui).


A few neighbours and I are trying to keep the jays coming to our places all winter so there's no lack of peanuts, nuts and fresh water around. 



16 comments:

  1. Lovely! What racket they make though! They are quite common in Toronto and whenever there is one yelling in one of the trees in the backyard Henry gets this surprised look on his face.

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  2. Love the photos so much, I put one of them on desktop.

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  3. Thanks, Holly. Are the cardinals around your back yard?

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  4. Who can tell your windows aren't washed - the photos are great! We have 4 or 5 bluejays that have been around all summer. I think they are all from the same spring nest. With 2 oak trees next door, and our sunflowers still standing in the garden, the jays are often around. Delightful. Chicadees are on the smaller sunflowers normally but have now found the suet.

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  5. Yes, the cardinals still pop up once in awhile. I see the lady bird more often than her flashy husband. Backyard is full with birds as our neighbor has his bird feeder up. Also means the back deck is a major poop zone again. The maple tree dropped all its leaves in one go last week. I have them piled up along the fence waiting for them to bundle up in bags. Henry is loving the large pile, I keep finding him buried deep in them.

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  6. Those rascally Blue Jays are fun to watch. Here in the tropical south of Minnesota they stay all year. One of the amazing events in the world of massed bird migrations (comparable to the snow geese in the Dakotas or the Sandhills in Nebraska) is occuring this week on the Mississippi. The Tundra Swans are stopping to rest and refuel on their way south and east to Chesapeake Bay on the Atlantic coast.

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  7. Thanks, Brett. Chickadees & sunflowers definitely go together. Do you have feeders out in the winter?

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  8. Troutbirder, I would love to see the Tundra Swan migration - another of those items on my Birding Bucket list. Hopefully you will have some photos on your blog - after the Arizona trip...

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  9. Nice yard, I can see why the bluejays love it here! Beautiful photos of them visiting.

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  10. Such beautiful blue colours in their feathers; also very personable birds.

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  11. Hi Kathy, yes we put out loose seed in a sheltered corner of the front yard, sunflowers in the back, a birdseed bell near the back of the yard and suet just off the back deck. This year, Kirby is going to make suet slices with nuts, fruit, cornmeal, etc. I'm not a serious birder, but I enjoy watching them and keep the feeders going all year, suet in winter. Mostly, I enjoy sitting at my dining room table and watching the flocks of sparrows go back and forth between the loose feed and the caragana hedge. Mesmirizing, but it doesn't take much!

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  12. Brett, that's my favourite type of bird-watching - idly watching whatever happens to fly into the yard. Your yard must be an absolute haven for birds, especially in winter. If Kirby's suet recipe brings the birds in flocks, ask him to share it, okay?

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  13. We went down to the Big River yesterday to see the swans. Maybe 10k. Also with the Canadian migrant Bald Eagles joining the local resident over 200 counted and many more uncounted. Unfortunately the batteries died on my point and shoot so no pics to show. I will dig out some from years past and post after our Christmas trip to the Grands in Arizona.... again. :)

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  14. Oh My! 10k swans! I think the most I've ever seen together is about 35-40. I'm definitely going to have to experience this first hand next year! Looking forward to seeing some photos....and more of the Arizona desert. I'm going down to Tucson in February/March.

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