The Blue Jay, on the Decline, Gets a Bad Rap
Upcoming Safaris:
Easy Mountain Snowshoeing Sun. Feb. 18
February Vacation Week: Family Nature Hikes
"How do Adirondack Animals Survive the Winter"?
Offered on 3 separate days:
Wed. Feb 21, Fri. Feb. 23, Sat. Feb. 24
The much-maligned blue jay is on my mind today. Lots of people rag on blue jays because they tend to take over feeding stations at times and make it difficult for smaller birds to get seed. It's true; like any large bird or animal, they have first dibs on whatever food is available.
Yet blue jays urgently need wintertime feeding as much as the smaller birds. The number of jays have been declining in recent years, particularly in the East, though ornithologists are not sure exactly why.
The other largely unfounded accusation hurled at blue jays is that they steal eggs and newborn birds from the nests of other birds. Fact: A comprehensive study of blue jays discovered that only one percent of blue jays had either egg or nestling remains in their stomachs. Blue jays predominantly dine on insects and nuts.
As far as managing the gluttonous appetites of these handsome birds, why not try broadcasting seed on the ground over a large area, or hang feeders specifically for smaller birds.
I love having my eight bluejays in the yard and hope when spring and summer comes they turn their gluttony on the mosquitoes!
Easy Mountain Snowshoeing Sun. Feb. 18
February Vacation Week: Family Nature Hikes
"How do Adirondack Animals Survive the Winter"?
Offered on 3 separate days:
Wed. Feb 21, Fri. Feb. 23, Sat. Feb. 24
The much-maligned blue jay is on my mind today. Lots of people rag on blue jays because they tend to take over feeding stations at times and make it difficult for smaller birds to get seed. It's true; like any large bird or animal, they have first dibs on whatever food is available.
Yet blue jays urgently need wintertime feeding as much as the smaller birds. The number of jays have been declining in recent years, particularly in the East, though ornithologists are not sure exactly why.
The other largely unfounded accusation hurled at blue jays is that they steal eggs and newborn birds from the nests of other birds. Fact: A comprehensive study of blue jays discovered that only one percent of blue jays had either egg or nestling remains in their stomachs. Blue jays predominantly dine on insects and nuts.
As far as managing the gluttonous appetites of these handsome birds, why not try broadcasting seed on the ground over a large area, or hang feeders specifically for smaller birds.
I love having my eight bluejays in the yard and hope when spring and summer comes they turn their gluttony on the mosquitoes!
posted by Judith at 2/09/2007 03:34:00 PM
1 Comments:
I love the Blue Jay almost as much as the Cardinals. The corvidae are aggressive, but one of my favorite types of birds. For some reason, they just seem more intelligent.
I've been using a mixture of seed that has cracked corn in it. The little birds don't really go for it and it lands on the ground. Perfect for the bigger guys.
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