**I must profess that I was a hunter before I was a birder. I was brought up around hunting and fishing, which is what led to my becoming a birder. I eventually started paying attention to every natural thing around me and ended up doing very little actual hunting at all.**
Blue Jays are not well regarded by most hunters. When I first started hunting deer, I was told that "If you hear blue jays screaming, do not bother hunting in that spot - they'll give you away!" However, from my own personal experiences, I have found the opposite to be true. Deer are curious animals. I have had more deer come in to investigate all the commotion/scolding put on by jays than be spooked by them.
I have hunter friends that often ask me how they can REPEL Blue Jays! I would ask them in return - "Why would you want to repel a bird as cool as a Blue Jay?"
Of all the many birds that come to my feeders, the Blue Jay is the only bird that my mother will ask me over and over "That is a beautiful bird, what bird is that?"
Not only are Blue Jays intelligent, fun, and interesting to watch, they can lead you to good birds! (My favorite thing about them!)
This Sharp-shinned Hawk was found and was carefully being watched by the local Blue Jays!
We do not have your beautiful Blue Jays here, but do have Steller Jays and Pine squirrels that I have also heard scare the deer away. But I have found the same thing as you have.
ReplyDeleteFantastic post. We enjoy our blue jays too. Although I do wish they wouldn't destroy the eggs of the other nesting birds in our yard each spring. Still, they are very pretty.
ReplyDeleteNow that I live in Texas I really miss the Blue Jays back home in Ohio. I love the Green Jays here (and all Jays in general) but THE BLUE JAY IS ONE BEAUTIFUL BIRD! I am glad they have a National Awareness Month!
ReplyDeleteThat Sharp-shinned looks like he might be a little intimidated by the jays. nice post :)
ReplyDeleteCertainly one of the better looking corvids. Your Sharp-shinned Hawk looks a bit like our Collared Sparrowhawk.
ReplyDeleteHope you don't mind me adding you to my blogroll.
The Blue Jay is an amazingly colourful bird Donald. Thanks for posting about it.
ReplyDeleteJust as mum says 'a very colourful corvid'. We use the same tatics over here...hear any corvid commotion & you could find something interesting.
ReplyDeleteMosura: Don't mind at all! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteNice sharpie photo!I can relate in thatI started out as a fisherman and hiker before taking interest in birds.I was also involved a little bit in hunting by association with friends that hunted.Blue jays are interesting birds to watch in terms of behavior. If they were rare in the USA people would treat them differently.They would be an exciting lifer to see if you had never seen one before.
ReplyDeleteBlue Jays are know mostly by their color,of course,but there`s people I know who say they hate their squacking,but I always tell them they haven`t yet heard their other voices,the bell ringing voice & they mimic other birds like the hawks.Love your post,phylliso
ReplyDelete...I love my Blue Jays too....they are fun to watch! Lovely captures and great capture of the Sharp-shinned!
ReplyDeleteNice blue colour on those jays, so different from the ones I've seen in the UK. Love your blog title picture! Makes me laugh every time, because it looks like you're squeezing the living shit out of that hawk and he can't wait to rip your head off!
ReplyDeleteBlue Jays get a bad rap, unfairly I might add.
ReplyDeleteWe have a gang of four that visit our feeder daily and none of the other birds seem to be bothered by their bickering.
Chipmunks cause more trouble...bad little critters!
Happy New Year!
I got several thousand photos of blue jays that land here in my backyard where I live and I never met a bad one. On the other hand I have met a few bad grackles.
ReplyDeletehttp://mybirdsblog.blogspot.com/