Some of the most entertaining birds in our back yard are the blue jays. Jays often get bad press because they will bust up nests of other birds. They are very opportunistic and will kill baby birds and eat other bird eggs if given the chance. But they are one of the smartest birds on the planet and I enjoy sharing my back yard with a small, resident flock.
Recently, I was in the backyard listening to UVA trying to figure out a new and improved way to lose a football game, when I heard the apparent shriek of a hawk. Only it wasn’t a hawk. It was a blue jay imitating a hawk so he and his buddies could keep the freshly strewn sunflower seeds to themselves. While the other birds were checking the air for a potential hawk, the jays had a head start.
In my backyard observations, I have often seen and heard jays alerting one another of the presence of food. One jay will spot me heading back to the shed where I keep seeds and nuts and he quickly swoops in. As I head away, the jay calls out to his flock that dinner is served and quickly three or four jays are on the scene. They have amazing communicating abilities and they are always quite vocal.
On occasion, I scatter a few peanuts on the patio for the squirrels, which will sometimes crawl beneath my legs to pick up a stray goober, but before the squirrels zero in on the nuts, the blue jays have already located the stash. Jays absolutely love peanuts. They will hop on the patio and stuff 5 or even 6 peanuts in their beaks, then fly off. Blue jays are one of the few birds that actually store food. They are like flying, blue squirrels.
We had two nesting pair in or near our yard last summer and the human-friendly birds hang around throughout the year, though they sometimes make themselves scarce when snow is on the ground.
Blue jays also serve as the early warning devices for all backyard creatures. If a hawk approaches and settles in on a low hanging branch, the jays absolutely raise Cain. They squawk and squawk, and then one or two jays are soon joined by others. Blue jays will come from a mile away or more if a hawk is spotted. They then harass the raptor en masse until he has had enough and flies away.
For that reason alone, I am glad to have a few blue jays as backyard neighbors.