I was out and about last week, stocking up on birdseed with 3-inches of snow and ice still clinging to the grass in my yard. I always have sunflower hearts and premium birdseed from Sam’s Club, but I bought a 5-pound bag of nuts and berries as a special treat for my mockingbirds, woodpeckers, titmice, and blue jays.
I have a small gang of blue jays, maybe 5 or 6 birds, and they know somehow when I have nuts to distribute. I won’t be able to go ten feet in my yard, that they will commence to squawking and every blue jay in Woodbroook will know that I have peanuts.
I scattered a couple of cupfuls yesterday and they jays went crazy. Interestingly, I saw one jay pack his jaws with nuts – at least 5 or 6, then flew off to a distant tree. I didn’t know this about blue jays until recently, but they are one of only a handful of birds which will store food. Like squirrels, jays will find nooks and crannies in tree and when there is a surplus of food, they’ll hide their stash in those remote locations.
Jays tend to form tight flocks in the winter. They are quite vocal to let others know about the availability of food. They have a large vocabulary, rivalling that of crows, and they are also effective mimics, often making shrill, hawk-like noises.
I’m out of nuts now and the jays let me know about it when I went out in the yard. Guess I’ll make a peanut run this afternoon. My birds have me well trained.
