Blue Jay and an Empty Feeder
I was enjoying a peaceful moment on my patio out back on one of the last delightful summer days when I heard a Blue Jay call out. It wasn’t unusual for the jays to visit our backyard. They would usually land on the feeder with such a thump from their hefty bodies that the other birds would almost be flung off their perches.
Because I was reading, it took me a while to realize that I was hearing a lot of Blue Jay calls, the raucous cry that sounds like a squeaky door. When I paid attention I could pinpoint the cries from tree to tree and follow the bird’s movements so I knew that it was close. I saw the leaves flutter in the surrounding trees as the jay moved about. It wasn’t mating season so I wondered if it was in distress. Usually when a bird seems frantic it is warning of a predator in the neighborhood. Was there a hawk around? I looked up but didn’t see any evidence of one.
Was it just being aggressive? Blue Jays are known to be territorial and will go after an intruder be it a bird, a squirrel, a cat, sometimes even a human. But that is mostly at nesting time.
When I went inside and happened to look out my kitchen window, I saw a jay practically wrapped around one of the bird feeders, which, I noticed, was empty. Could that have been the reason for its vocal outburst? Blue Jays eat such a variety of foods – nuts, fruits, seeds, insects, mice, grasshoppers, beetles, caterpillars – surely a lack of sunflowers seeds should not have caused such verbal outrage. But maybe it was so used to this particular source of a meal that it wanted to make its dissatisfaction plain.
I don’t claim to understand nature nor have I observed it sufficiently to make any confident conclusions about what I see. I occasionally note consistencies so it is sometimes tempting to come to a conclusion but then I am often surprised. This applies to people, too. Motives, desire, necessity, instinct affect us all and make even the most usual unpredictable at times.
In this case, I just went out and filled the feeders. Several jays came around later and partook of the bounty. Perhaps one of them was the bird I had heard earlier, perhaps not. My desire is to provide seed for the birds who find their way to the feeders, at least most of the time. I guess the Blue Jay’s desire is to eat it.
Listen to the Blue Jay – and other birds:
http://www.birdjam.com/birdsong.php?id=5
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I agree with She Cat.
And about online dating. There is one man that lives between Barrie and Toronto that has no hair, bright blue eyes, and stands 5"6. He gives the impression he wants a single relationship, or sex only depending on who he is talk
Wow, didn't realize this was a site for perfect people who have it all figured out and are so well adjusted. I said nothing about denigrating my body or mind. I mentioned nothing about not liking myself or being influenced by silly magazines. My thou
Ferida,
I love waching the Blue Jays in my tree by my porch. One year they built a nest that was visable enough for me to watch their interactions from the day the eggs hatched until the little ones were taught to fly. The parents were very involved in the whole process and made a lot of noise around the tree to make sure nothing interfered with their children. It was entertaining to watch the little ones hesitating at the edge of a branch while the mom and dad cawed them on.
Thanks for your post.
How exciting, Vonnie! I love when the baby birds come out of the nest, their speckled coloring and awkward movements betraying their youth. Thanks for sharing your experience.
My husband and I are in the process of renovating the unused backyard of our house. As we were sitting out there, my husband talked about the birds coming in pecking the ground for food. I decided to install a bird feeder. I’m still trying to make it work – picking the food and getting the birds to use it. If anyone has tips, I would certainly appreciate it. I purchased some birdseed from Loews Home Improvement Center and the birds HATED it. Even the squirrels hated it! How do I know? The bird feeder remained untouched so we put some seeds on the ground in a plate. A squirrel walked by and did not even take a second look! We watched for a while and birds passed up the plate. Now I am looking for a different kind of seed. We live in Brooklyn, NY.
We have tried several kinds of birdseed and found that all birds, even those that supposed prefer thistle seed, are perfectly happy with black oil sunflower seed. Most pet stores carry it. Squirrels eat the seeds that fall from the feeders and so do chipmunks. Good luck, AprilC.