Breakfast with the Blue Jays - Video Clip Attached
Posted:
February 21, 2010
I like to watch the Blue Jays have their peanuts breakfast while I eat my own breakfast. It is fun to see their lively interaction as they select just the right one. I'm not sure what their selection criteria is, but they obviously like to sample them in their beak before departing with one.
This Blue Jay was digging in the snow for sunflower seeds I tossed into our used Christmas tree. He must have been watching me when I put them in. Normally only the Chickadees, Juncos and Cardinals visit this tree.
I really liked this Blue Jay's expression as he posed for me while waiting his turn at the suet block. Some of the Blue Jays are very bossy and aggressive while others are easy going. This was one of the mellow ones.
This Blue Jay was braving the high winds and blowing heavy snow. He had ice crystals on his face and crest feathers, but it did not slow him down on gathering seeds and peanuts.
Our 2 dozen Blue Jays are very spoiled. I put out a quart of unshelled peanuts every morning. Within about 10 minutes, they are all gone. The Blue Jays fly off with them and stash them at their cache locations.
This Blue Jay landed in the tree and then quickly fluffed his feathers against the cold breeze. He was content to stay there for about 5 minutes just looking around.
This juvenile Blue Jay is still begging for food while most of the others are eating on their own. He spreads and flutters his wings as he cries out loudly. Mom was not impressed and did not feed him right away.
This blue jay was hanging on tightly to a branch in a 30 MPH wind. He was swaying wildly back and forth - up and down, but he did not seem at all alarmed.
The Blue Jays were hiding in the serviceberry flowers for quite awhile. I managed to catch this one out in the open. With the 30-40 MPH winds we've had, the blossoms only lasted 2 days.
The Blue Jays frequently pause and look toward me after selecting their unshelled peanut. I feel like they are saying thanks before heading off to eat it in the privacy of a tree.
This is a favorite hangout tree for our bluejays. This shot was taken in late December. When the weather got below 10 degrees, the remaining crabapples in this photo were eaten very quickly.
You can see from the scratch marks on the branch that this serviceberry tree limb is a favorite bluejay perch spot. Those buds will be pretty white blooms in about 4 months.
All the birds are trying to stay warm. This bluejay is patiently waiting for a starling to finish at the suet block. Despite their dominant behavior toward all the songbirds, the bluejays defer to the starlings.
Today it was the bluejay's turn to get his photo in the cranberry bush. Normally they don't stay still for long, but this one perched with a seed in its beak for a good minute.
I usually toss out a mix of shelled and unshelled peanuts. This bluejay seemed to be showing off his unshelled prize to the other jays before departing with it to the woods to stash it somewhere.
How do you explain to 18 bluejays that you have run out of peanuts? Boy were they indignant. Two of them came to the feeder in front of the kitchen window and stared in as if part of a posse looking for the guilty one.
One of about two dozen bluejays that come in each morning to gobble up peanuts. This one definitely got its fair share. They fly off in all different directions to deposit their peanuts in private stashes.
Bird Species
