Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Damn Bird

The Blue Jays continue to avoid me. I've been told they're mean, nasty birds so I shouldn't be so surprised, but the thing is, I am fascinated with their coloring and their size! In the almost four years that I've been taking pictures on a regular basis I've managed to get one half-decent shot of a Blue Jay. The odds of that just don't seem right.

2 comments:

  1. How to Attract Jays to Your Backyard!

    1. The powerful, all-purpose bill of most jays efficiently handles a varied diet. Most of their diet is vegetable, but they also eat some insects. Their most important natural food source is acorns. They will also feed on berries such as elderberries, cherries and dogwood.
    2. Just add Peanuts! Let's face it, most of you know that if you put out whole, raw peanuts, they will draw the jays in your area like a magnet! Offer whole peanuts in a large platform feeder or on the ground or flat surface. Jays will usually take one whole peanut, stuff it down its throat, then fill its mouth with another, then quickly fly away to bury it!
    3. Jays also enjoy whole or shelled black oil sunflower seed. and striped sunflower seed. Because jays are large birds, offer their favorite foods in a platform feeder or feeder with lots of perching space.
    4. Plant an oak tree! This will not only attract jays but many other birds that rely on this popular tree for food.
    5. Jays won't nest in birdhouses, but construct large, open shelf nests. They prefer sticks and twigs for nesting materials. Since building a nest can take hundreds of trips, offer a pile of sticks and twigs nearby to help them out! They will also line their nests with grasses and mud.
    6. Suet is also a favorite backyard feeder food, if they can get to it!
    7. Don't forget to offer a source of water for drinking and bathing. The large jays are fun to watch displacing lots of water in your birdbath!

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  2. Thank you for that National Geographic point of view...I'm on it.

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