Nature Paparazzi-Blue Jay at the Feeder

I took this series of shots of one of the Blue Jays at my feeder. Every time I put out whole peanuts, I get a lot of Blue Jays. This is a common songbird at House In The Wood and is familiar to many people, with its perky crest; blue, white, and black plumage; and noisy calls. Blue Jays are known for their intelligence and complex social systems with tight family bonds.

Backyard Tip:

Blue Jays prefer tray feeders or hopper feeders on a post rather than hanging feeder, and they prefer peanuts, sunflower seeds and suet. Planting oak trees (House In The Wood is mostly oak trees) will make acorns available for Jays in the future. Blue Jays often take drinks from birdbaths.

Find This Bird:

Blue Jays are most often detected by their noisy calls--I think of it as a "rusty pump handle". You can recognize them by their steady flight, rounded wings, long tail and white underside.

Kool Fact:

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. 

Another Kool Fact:

Their fondness of acorns is credited with helping spread oak trees after the last glacial period. They have an uncanny knack for picking weevil-free acorns to bury. In fact, birds in one study cached 3,000-5,000 acorns in ONE Autumn.

Information from my favorite birding website-ALL ABOUT BIRDS 
from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Blue_Jay/lifehistory
I just ordered a FREE calendar on the website!

For more information on House In The Wood please go to our website at www.houseinthewood.com

We are operated by

www.nush.org

all rights reserved 2012 Valerie J Wright