Everything has been so peaceful and calm at our feeder this winter. The regulars have been polite and very social, no pushing or shoving, that is until now. The blue jays are back. He flew in with a whole flock of his cronies and took over the feeder for a while, sending all but the bravest of the smaller birds up into the tree to wait for him to be finished.
Maybe I’m a little prejudiced but the character Sammy Jay in the classic Thornton Burgess books for children, but to me, the blue jay has always appeared to be the bully of the bird feeder. He swoops in like he owns the place and scares everyone else away. He chitters and chatters as if scolding all he sees.
He is a beautiful bird, but please don’t tell him. His head is already big enough! The deep blue coloring of his back and wings are set off perfectly by his white breast. He’s a bright spot of color against a dreary winter horizon . But there’s something about the way he holds his head and how his beak looks as if he is wrinkling his nose at the world that makes his entire demeanor appear stuck-up. Oh well, Sammy Jay can still feed at my feeder, despite his bad manners. I will admit that his antics provide a bit of enjoyment for those of us on the other side of the window.
Blue Jeans and Cotton Tees 