Blue Jays

I was glad when the blue jays appeared in our yard this year. They had a tough time with the West Nile virus, and for a few years, I didn't see much of them.

Now I'm seeing a lot of them.

A pair seems to have taken over our yard, and I mean taken over. I haven't really seen much of our usual birds--cardinals, goldfinches, chickadees--since they've arrived! One day, I even spotted one of the jays chasing a robin away from the bushes outside the kitchen window. The robins were around quite a bit before, looking at possible nesting sites, but now they're not to be seen.

The jays don't just chase away songbirds. Whenever our resident red-tailed hawk announces his presence with a loud kiii, those jays will soon arrive, calling out thief! thief! and drive him away! They are brave, especially considering that something, maybe a hawk, caught a jay and left its remains--a pile of feathers--over by the finch feeder.

Despite the slightly headlong bravery with hawks, they seem smart to me. One likes alighting on a low branch of our maple to cock his head at the kitty, who looks up with interest. They also like bathing in our birdbath.

I'll be interested to see if they stick around. It would be cool if they nested here.