Jay Birds

Wednesday, February 06, 2019

Here’s a thing about the Scrub Jays that hang around my barn. They train me! Although alert and cautious, they seem relatively fearless in bravely swooping for prey and then flying straight up onto a tree branch. It’s easy to recognize their distinctive squawks and various other sounds from their huge vocabulary. When I’m working near the barn, upon hearing a nearby Jay, I grab a handful of the peanuts that I keep around and toss them over a wide area (unless my cat Maxwell is somewhere on the loose).

In seconds, the pair watching me starts working. Each bird swoops rapidly before springing up and away to hide its treasure. This pair that’s been around for several days has spotted a soft touch. Mornings and evenings, they visit, demanding eats. I’m trained to notice and respond. In return, they display energetic and fun-to-see food gathering antics.

It’s a two-way street because these and all other birds are fascinating. I’m awed by the sights birds offer, like beautiful feathers, flying strengths, spontaneous feats of agility, and evidence of close-bonding. Particularly interesting is their intelligence. It’s high and varies among species. Jays as members of the corvid family are among the most intelligent of birds.

Oregon Jays that visit my barn have been reclassified. They’re no longer Western Scrub Jays, but now, California Scrub Jays or Aphelocoma californica (Aphelocoa refers to the Greek, meaning feathers, and californica means California.) Scientists have found that Scrub Jays can plan ahead for the future and also remember 200+ of their food stashes. Their complex food hiding processes, and their group behaviors during “Jay funerals”, suggest the capacity of forethought.

While Corvids are worth appreciating for their high intelligence, wide vocabulary, and fascinating behaviors, we bird-watchers get good returns, too, from this quiet pastime that offers joy and respite.

Dear Readers, have a great day and take time for wild birds. Diana