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. 

Blue Jay - Again

Blue Jay  Cyanocitta cristata

Cool Facts from All About Birds

• Thousands of Blue Jays migrate in flocks along the Great Lakes and Atlantic coasts, but much about their migration remains a mystery. Some are present throughout winter in all parts of their range. Young jays may be more likely to migrate than adults, but many adults also migrate. Some individual jays migrate south one year, stay north the next winter, and then migrate south again the next year. No one has worked out why they migrate when they do.
• Blue Jays are known to take and eat eggs and nestlings of other birds, but we don’t know how common this is. In an extensive study of Blue Jay feeding habits, only 1% of jays had evidence of eggs or birds in their stomachs. Most of their diet was composed of insects and nuts.
• The Blue Jay frequently mimics the calls of hawks, especially the Red-shouldered Hawk. These calls may provide information to other jays that a hawk is around, or may be used to deceive other species into believing a hawk is present.
• Tool use has never been reported for wild Blue Jays, but captive Blue Jays used strips of newspaper to rake in food pellets from outside their cages.
• Blue Jays lower their crests when they are feeding peacefully with family and flock members or tending to nestlings.
• At feeders in Florida, Red-headed Woodpeckers, Florida Scrub-Jays, Common Grackles, and gray squirrels strongly dominate Blue Jays, often preventing them from obtaining food.
• The pigment in Blue Jay feathers is melanin, which is brown. The blue color is caused by scattering light through modified cells on the surface of the feather barbs.
• The black bridle across the face, nape, and throat varies extensively and may help Blue Jays recognize one another.
• The oldest known wild, banded Blue Jay lived to be at least 17 years 6 months old.

Blue Jay Outside My Window

Yay, Blue Jay!

Two Blue Jays (Cyanocitta cristata) have been coming to my yard every morning, picking up peanuts I toss out for the squirrels.