Saturday, May 02, 2009

Why You Should Love Blue Jays at Your Feeders

Blue Jays could do with a good press agent. They are criticized unfairly. They called bullies of the small birds, when in fact they save countless lives of smaller birds especially during the harsh winter months.

Recently we had some family visit. In between garden tours, there was plenty of time to sip coffee and watch the activity at the feeders through the kitchen window. Our suburban family needed most birds identified for them, until the Blue Jays flew in and all of the smaller birds scattered. They knew the Blue Jays. “Blue Jays are such bullies.”

“Not so,” I countered, and tried to launch into my pedantic defense of our backyard jays. My spouse cut me short by proposing another tour of the garden to see what had grown up in the last half hour.

Having been warned off of dry pedantry by my spouse, I shall instead go the opinionated route. If you don’t like Blue Jays coming to your feeders because you think they are bullies - well, you are just flat out wrong! And if you only welcome the “cute” little birds, like the chickadees or titmice, well - you’re just dabbling with feeding and don’t really like birds.

For the few readers remaining after that offensive tirade, let me offer some explanation of my opinion.

This is what I often see at my backyard feeders: Blue Jays swoop down on feeders, noisy, fast, big, and seldom still for a moment. They shovel seed from the bulk feeder. They fill their crop on the platform feeder or with seeds shoveled to the ground. Small birds often scatter as the jays fly in, but they return to the smaller feeders while the jays are on the big ones. The jays are hyperactive, hoping in circles, harshly calling back and forth, rarely still for a moment - as though they were on a permanent adrenaline rush or high on speed. Then they are off to the shrubs, maples, and pines, still talking it over.

I have often written that when Blue Jays are the noisiest, pay attention! A hawk is nearby. I remember the drama of watching a Sharp-shinned Hawk chase a screaming jay through the branches of a white pine, until the screams suddenly fell silent. Mournful calls of other jays faded away as they disappeared into the forest.

And another occasion when the noisy jays around the feeders suddenly scattered. It takes longer to describe what happened than it took to happen: a passing Sharp-shinned flew between our home and the neighbor’s, thirty feet above ground. Passing the corner of the house, she spied the busy feeders and the many jays. A quick tail adjustment and wing beat put her into a rapid, diving attack. She swooped on the feeders. Her dive was too slow by a millisecond, and the birds escaped.

It does not always end happily for the birds around a feeder. I often find a clump of feathers here or there in the yard, a silent reminder that life and death are ever present in the cultured backyard. Once in a while the feathers are identifiable as pigeon feathers. A Cooper’s Hawk is quite capable of taking the similarly sized pigeon. More often, the feathers I find look like they have come from a Mourning Dove. It is not unusual for a flock of fifteen or twenty doves to be roosting in nearby trees in early December. By early March, the number has been halved. Dove feathers seem most common through the summer months, when young birds are newly left on their own while adult birds go on to raise a second, third, or fourth pair.

But the most common feathers that I find are the easily identifiable feathers of the Blue Jay. Typically I find a few wing or tail feathers tossed aside casually. I accept those scattered jay feathers as evidence of nature’s ebb and flow, one creature’s life depending upon another creature’s death.

This Spring, nature’s cycle became a little grimmer. As the snow melted beneath the pine trees along our river bank, blue feathers began to appear. When the snow was finally gone, several distinguishable piles were revealed. It seems as though the protective pine boughs served as a winter, restaurant booth for predators - probably hawk, perhaps owl - and Blue Jay was the featured menu item.

In a book about feeder birds, the first two species described are Sharp-shinned Hawk and Cooper’s Hawk. So let’s be clear - if you put out a bird feeder and birds come, among those birds, sooner or later, will be a hawk. If you are helping birds by feeding birds, hawks will be among those you are feeding. The chickadee, which I often hear described as cute, dear, darling, and “I love,” is food to a hawk, and you have no business trying to scare off, or in any way harass, a hawk trying to make its living around your bird feeders.

The unbelievable irony is that there are some people who feed birds, hate hawks, and let their cat roam free outdoors. Is there a disconnect there, or not?

So you have bird feeders, and the birds are coming. Now imagine that you are a Sharp-shinned Hawk. You weigh between 4 ounces (male) and 8 ounces (female). You sneak into a tree and watch the bird feeders. You are going to have to expend energy (calories) when you attack. Not every attack is going to be successful. What are you going to go for? A half ounce chickadee, or a three ounce Blue Jay?

Even for a Sharp-shinned Hawk, that is a no brainer. For the same energy expense, the calorie payoff is many times greater with a Blue Jay than a chickadee.

And that’s why you should get over your prejudice and love the Blue Jays that come to your bird feeders. If you only have chickadees, the hawk is going to take a chickadee. If you have Blue Jays, the hawk is going to go for the bigger payoff.

When those piles of Blue Jay feathers emerged from the melting snow beneath my pine trees, I realized that Blue Jay behavior is not about other birds, it is about their own survival. It is one dangerous world out there for them, and they have to stay alert. Safety, such as it is, comes in numbers. The individual is more likely to survive in a flock. Collective eyes and constant communication carries life and death importance.

If you call a Blue Jay a bully, and greedy, you just don’t get it. They provide protection for your beloved little birds than far more than they harass those same birds. (Besides, I’ve never seen a chickadee kept from a feeder for very long.) I’ve even heard of Blue Jays attacking the home owner’s cat when it was crouched beneath the same home owner’s bird feeder. How’s that for irony?

So if you have a prejudice about Blue Jays coming to your feeders, get over it. Love the Blue Jays. Welcome them! They are gorgeous birds. They are intelligent birds! They are sentinels for danger. Often they lose the dangerous contest, while the smaller birds go on blithely with their “chick-a-dee-dee-dee” life.

You should love the Blue Jays at your feeders.

45 comments:

Dawn Fine said...

Very Well said!
I agree with you 100%...

was just watching a blue jay at my tray feeder.. I love when they all call and then land on the tray feeder,eat and scatter the seed about and go.Marauding noisy teenagers.. All part of the scene.

birdsonthebrain said...

Yet again I've learned quite a bit from reading your blog.

I actually don't get many Jays at my feeders--occasionally one will stop by. But, those visits are so spaced apart from one another that the Jays never annoyed me in the first place. Still, a great topic to have written about, since I'm sure many people are annoyed by Jays at their feeders.

Great pics, too!

Kim said...

I love Blue Jays and spend a fortune on them on peanuts during the winter months. Once spring hits they are on their own though because my neighbor lets its cat out when its warm.

I also get hawks who visit my yard and I usually let nature take its course. Once the Red Bellied Woodpecker was at my feeder and I banged on the window to scare it off when I saw a hawk appear. Sorry, but it's the only red bellied in my neighborhood and I have grown somewhat attached to it. ;o)

Kelly said...

...I also love Blue Jays. I love their warning calls...and all of their chatter...and they are fun to watch nabbing the peanuts I put out. They are gorgeous on top of it all!

Unknown said...

I love Blue Jays, and always have. Actually I love all Corvids: Crows, Ravens, Jays, and probably Magpies, too (I've yet to actually meet a Magpie!)

According to Wikipedia (a source chosen for brevity,but quite correct in this case and easily verifiable), They are considered the most intelligent of the birds,having demonstrated self-awareness in mirror tests (European Magpies) and tool making ability (Crows)—skills until recently regarded as solely the province of humans and a few other higher mammals.Whats not to love?

The Zen Birdfeeder said...

Chris - nice post on an oft-disdained bird. Featured your post in my Zen Nature Lessons.
http://bit.ly/2opwG

Human Ape Along for the Ride said...

I love Blue Jays, and they tend to have a set time frame where they come to my feeder every morning; I love to watch them peck open the sunflower seeds.

They are noisy and a large bird, but they are not the only bird that does alarm calls with regards to predators. Tufted Titmice and Carolina (or Black-Capped, depending on your locale) Chickadees have the biggest mouths out there and along with Nuthatches tend to form mixed-species flocks in the winter, and they provide the bulk of the alarm/mobbing calls.

A note on the Cooper's and Sharp-Shinned hawks though: they do come to feeders, but studies have shown that they do not hit the same feeders repetitively. If you are interested in more info on their behavior, Google Sharp-Shinned Hawk and/or Coopers Hawk and SL Lima; you'll get more info than you probably ever wanted! Here's a recent one: http://wolfweb.unr.edu/homepage/tcroth/Roth%20and%20Lima%202007%20Oecologia.pdf

Thank you for the pictures on your blog; birds are such amazing critters!

Anonymous said...

What a funny blog! I too LOVE the Stellars Jays we have here in California but I DO NOT like them at my feeders. I feed them twice a day off of the deck banister but they are not allowed at the feeders. They chased away all my Nuthatches, Grosbeaks and Woodpeckers last year. So far this year, Blue Jays 1, me 2. I'm determined to win this one! hahahah Have a great day. Thanks for the amusing tirade.

animal friend said...

Heard an epic commotion outside and saw the Blue Jays flying madly about.

Later found a dead Blue Jay on the ground. Probably from a hawk who was close to nest.

Just so sad to see a beautiful animal who mates for life killed in this way. I really hate predators and can't help my prejudice toward them. I feed birds year round so they are ever present too.

(Before anyone says it, I know that they are just doing what they must to survive. I know Jays kill smaller birds sometimes, etc. Still so sad.

Anonymous said...

I very specifically feed blue jays. They are beautiful and incredibly intelligent birds. I have also learned throughout my years of feeding blue jays that they save many birds lives by screaming and scattering other birds when a hawk is near.

iLoveMyGoats said...
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iLoveMyGoats said...

I'm not a fan of Blue Jays and here's why...In my 60+ years of life, I have seen countless Blue Jays eat other birds eggs, kill and eat nestlings and fledglings, kill baby squirrels and other small rodents. Blue Jays are members of the Crow family which are in large part carnivores....and therefore, so are Blue Jays, though not to the same degree as Crows. I had a pair of Blue Jays relentlessly attacking the parents of some baby robins to make a meal of the babies. Nothing I did would discourage the Jays from returning to the Robins nest. I live in the country and we get Owls, Hawks and Eagles by the score. There's never been a problem with them at the feeders because the smaller birds do a phenomenal job at alerting everyone else of danger. The Blue Jays, on the other hand, cause nothing but havoc and destruction.

Unknown said...

I have always loved Blue Jays. When I was young we had a nest of Blue Jays in our backyard. A neighbor hood cat caught and killed the mother bird and one of the two babies that were just learning to fly. My father chased the cat away but was left with one baby wondering if he should leave it to its fate or raise it. Being soft hearted He raised it. It lived with us for 12 years and was very spoiled. They are extremely smart, they have a large vocabulary of sounds and can mimic some sounds we make. Like most birds the usually take to one person but are friendly to others who are often around. The bird died 3 months after my father passed away.

Susan said...
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Susan said...

I have blue jays and love them I also have crows, pigeons, family of cardinals, titmouse, chickadees, mockingbird and woodpeckers. All are welcome. Only problem I have with my blue jay he wants fresh food lol. I use a food with nuts and cherries which all of them like. Longs they don't fight or raise wings they are fine with me. Yes blue jays are loud but its in the daytime not at night

Sheila said...

I must admit that I'm a non-discriminating feeder. Every bird is welcome at my feeders, although I do try and keep the squirrels away from them. We have many pine and oak treas around for their dining pleasure. We must remember that Mother Nature is not often kind and that is the way it must be. To not understand this is to upset a very delicate balance. Everyone and everything has it's place. I just love watching everyone come to the feeders.

Unknown said...

I am sick and tired of watching the beautiful cardinal and robin young carried off into the trees and torn apart by the blue jays. I don't hate any bird but in my area they are a major pain in the butt.

Unknown said...

Now while I agree that blue jays should not be hated I do not agree with your opinion why. You said that blue jays save the lives of smaller birds, well according to what you said they aren't trying to help they are just more meat more desirable for hawks. Blue jays are beautiful but like it or not they are in the crow family and blue jays are predatory and eat small prey.

Kathryn said...

I don't hate the Jays. I just know they are pigs! I have 2 feeders, 1 they are welcome to it away from my deck, at the other feeder they are not. But they don't care, they eat the squirrel food, the cat food and the food in their feeder, then want the little birds food off the deck too. They are pigs! That is why I try to discourage them from my deck feeders.

Anonymous said...

Blue Jays are "BULLY BIRDS" and are an enemy of robins, Eastern and Western bluebirds, and most songbirds. They do NOT share, they MONOPOLIZE bird feeders and like squirrels, harass all other species. If you allow Jays and squirrels, soon those are the only 2 species you will have...BLUE Jays have eaten my baby robins and chickadees as Jays love meat as well. TO discourage Jays,*buy blue bird feeders ONLY (the holes are only large enough to allow small breeds of songbirds to enter and eat)*only put out sunflower seeds IN THE SHELL, *and upside down suet feeders as only woodpeckers and nuthatches can feed upside down.

jkfan87 said...

Ahh..gotta love anecdotal evidence of a moron that tries to contradict established facts! And in a blog no loess. The trifecta of uselessness.

Unknown said...

I actually like the spunkiness of the blue jays...what once started as, what am I going to do with all of this extra bread? Turned into a major compulsive morning routine! By the way, blue jays love your leftover bread! I put out great big chunks, and smaller chunks-each bird ets according to size most of the time. But, it is the blue jays that are sooo fun to watch, I think. Then, I put peanuts out on the other side of my yard, and the squirrels and blue jays share that end...The squirrels also share my garden with me (unwillingly) on my account. As far as feeders, most of the time the differnt sized birds, know their spots, and preferred cuisine. In fact, the little birds nest in a great big pine right off of my porch, and the blue jays nest in a tree right next to them in a catapila tree....my long drive way is lined with trees a am nd differnt birds have diffefnt preferences here it seems. I see way more working in tandem, than survival of the fittest. Funny thing though, due to the article, my daughter brought home a kitten this spring; and I didn't even think of the birds at first??? Within months, the cat was on the prowl-oops I thought! But, it was the blue jay who seen the cat down, and it was the blue jays who has the cat afraid of going under my feeding areas af the birds! They warded off the cat-for the rest of ghe more defenseless creatures.
But, I do agree, how can anyone say there are bird lovers, or nature lovers for that matter, if you do not enjoy the simplicities and complexities of how nature's processes work at their finest hours. Blue jays are an amazing bird to watch, and makes it just a lil more interesting-to me anyways.

M jean said...

Thank you for the information. I love watching the the jays and chickadees and cardinals come to my feeders.
Then I had a cardinal killed and though I did not see what happened it made me wonder if it could have been a jay. We don't have cats that I've seen around and it at a quick glance appear to be a pucture wound.
Today the jays are busy as I put out among other things, whole peanuts the jays love. I have seen four and five Jay's coming at a time today!

Unknown said...

Interesting........Its like we can draw a line down the middle and on one side we have all the CARNIVORES, PREDATORS, BANKSTERS GANGSTERS, PEOPLE WHO LOVE THE MONETARY SYSTEM, COMPETITION, LIES,SHARKS,LIONS,BLUEJAYS, ............................................................and on the other side we have VEGETARIAN ANIMALS AND PEOPLE, PEOPLE WHO DREAM OF A WORLD WITHOUT MONEY, FREE ENERGY FROM THE SUN,WIND,MAGNETISM,GRAVITY, RABBITS, DEER, COWS,..................................................QUESTION: could it be possible that Jesus actually said THE WHEAT IS GROWING MIXED WITH THE WEEDS and the time is coming when there will be a separation?

Unknown said...

Funny story... Our cat was old and arthritic. She would lay on the deck directly under the bird feeders in the sun. I just assumed the birds would not visit the feeder while she was laying there. I was wrong!! The birds (especially the blue Jays) must have tested the waters at some point and realized that the old cat lying there was not able to attach them, so away they went! Eating at the feeders with a cat right under them, watching. It was truly a case of Kitty TV. She is gone now, recently, and this story was from this very summer. That is a great memory of her last days.

Anonymous said...

I love my Blue Jays and have put up peanut feeders with great success however since I moved, my efforts are not paying off. What else can I do to bring them to my feeders?

Anonymous said...

I have a large 'flock' of Jays feeding at my feeders and I just love them. There are approximately 24 Jays as well as 40-50 Chickadees and Sparrows and 1 lone Woodpecker. They all seem to get along really well.
I can say that I do love seeing them and feel really good about feeding them, as the winter has been really cold this year! Example, the high temp has been -5 for the last 8 days, chilly!
All of the birds need a break! (of course my hubby says I'd let the birds into the house if I could! :) )

Unknown said...

I have tons of Blue Jay's but I only feed in the winter. People ask me my trick to keep squirrels off my suet. The trick is that the Jay's kick the shit out of the squirrels. Still have tons of "good birds" and some bluebirds stuck around for the first time this year.

Anonymous said...

Peanuts in shells or shelled?

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Thank you for your post! They are as beautiful as they are destructive. People here are ignorant of the harm they are actually doing. Song birds nests are destroyed by blue Jays. I've seen them in action.

Caligal said...

I love my Blue Jays and have seen them flock together and chase off a Cooper's Hawk that was lurking. I call them my CIA birds, quick in and out, cautious and protective.....love you blog❤️

Kasha said...
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Unknown said...

I love this! I just wish I could be as accepting with the circle of life. I just can't stand for hawks to prey on my birds, especially the blue ones; Bluejays and Bluebirds. I'm going to continue banging trash can lids together, throwing my garden spade, and running around like an idiot...especially with Spring in full session.
Thanks for your passionate and mature take on things, though.

Colorado Girl said...

I am sorry, however i dislike Blue Jays very much! I live in Colorado and I will say I have seven bird houses hanging in the trees for the birds. The birds I have are small and I’ve always thought that they were just sparrows. I sit and watch them mate, watch them claim or fight over a house (and believe me, they get into some bad fight!). I do not put out seeds because i also have a lot of squirrels and they make a mess of everything!!! And I finally had to put up chicken wire around the perimeter of the front birdhouse. Just to keep the blue jays away! The most awful thing I have witnessed is the blue jays don’t care, they fly in a rip the baby right out of the bird house!!!! One time, less than two feet where my husband and I were sitting! We did save that baby! We also have Hawks lately and the beautiful Robins are rarely heard. I wish they would leave the Rodins alone and get the blue jays! So to each there own! I do respect your opinion, however I have mine.

Unknown said...

I've learned to love "the bullies on the block" ,in fact, they now KNOW ME! My family members can walk outside...and nothing. I walk out on my porch (without food) and the bluejays start landing on the gutter, in my yard like right in front of me, and squawk at me. Dang they get pushier by the day! They have got the whole neighborhood of birds waiting for me to throw my daily treats! I've even got my cat to see them as just another pet (which is crazy). She sees me feed them after I feed her. Occasionally she hunkers down as if she's gonna jump at them, but ultimately doesn't. One dy she caught a bunny, took it under their tree, and boy did the bluejays call in every bird in the area. They (I think) were going to attack, but seen it wasn't a bird. They still gawked for awhile, and then started landing and eating near her. I've just been amazed at the whole situation, and really haven't seen the non coexistence that can happen with other birds. They all eat from the same area. They made me a bird lover for sure!

Unknown said...

This is the first year I have had blue jays at my feeder. I have a pole with 4 hooks/feeders. The blue jays eat off the platform feeder and smaller birds from the others. They have not “bullied” the small birds at all as they have their own space. I love watching them come and go all day :)

Just win baby said...

Your reply came in at 2:56 in the morning while the rest of America is asleep. Who’s the moron?

stuart strongin said...

We live in New York City and I throw tons of peanuts in the shell into this large grassy area for both the squirrels and blue jays. One small section of trees is where I put out peanuts for the blue jays. They know me and are waiting every morning to swoop down and get their peanuts. Some mornings I have had as many as 7 blue jays. My wife and I love those birds as well as all the other birds that we try to feed during the winter!!

Stuart & Ellen

Unknown said...

Blue Jay's get a bad rap as I to thought they were mean but they do get along with Cardinal's and like Cardinal's they are wary of other preds and warn of danger. I've seen Bluejays chase off blackbirds and crows. They stay one step ahead of larger birds. JMO.

Sharon HFred said...

We have blue jays, red Headed woodpeckers, doves, finch, an occasional red breasted robin, male and female mating pair of cardinals, and occasional female and male pair of green Parrotts. And yes, the hawk and the osprey. Tons of squirrel and once a little rabbit. We feed them bird seed, squirrel feed and peanuts. The hawk tried twice to invade the feeder for a bluejay, but they all managed to escape. Haven't seen any squirrels and up as food and only once did the osprey catch a nice size fish, at least while I was outside watching. Oh yeah, a big crow visits from time to time but the smaller black birds have stopped coming by. The cat is only allowed outside at night and the critters he catches, once in a while, he brings to the front porch alive to play with. I return them to the "wild" as often as I am outside to do so. He catches moles, snakes, lizards and lizard snakes. Only one mole died because I didn't find him till morning. A couple of lizards didn't make it either but the rest I set free. I try not to interfere with the circle of life but anything the cat catches doesn't fit as he is domestic and we'll fed. All though he does kill and eat bugs. The feeder is a wonderful way to pass the day. I'm handicapped and don't get put much and our backyard wildlife are awesome to watch. The blue jays know where to come when they want seed or peanuts and the squirrels take the peanuts out of my hand. When they're real young or too skidish for hand feeding I toss the peanut to them. Just watch a little girl eat 3 peanuts before burrying the 4th. Such cute little things.

Unknown said...

I put out unshelled peanuts, it's cheaper.

Anonymous said...

Humans,cats,predator birds like the falcon and others should exterminate the little bastard blue jay

Kevin said...

Hi Chris. I raised over 1000 bluejays from 2 males and 2 females. At the start i was feeding anything that wanders by when twice a bluejay flew in my open window , touched my back ( or it was the wind from its wings )

They get together with crows and will kill any hawk that attacks anything whatsoever.

>> if you say " Planters Peanuts " or " Planter's Nuts " and feed them such, they will repeat it after a few times. They know the difference between all other peanuts i have tried

I am a vegan, that is very important to them.

After 15 years of this i moved 30 miles and so did they. Where i am now, the other creatures and birds will always leave some or all of the peanuts for baby jays. They all will say baby jays, sparrows , robins. They will not mix breed with another family of jays and wont even be in the same territory.

Jays and Robins will trade territory between themselves and each other.

I have had a Jay and Crow follow me 25 miles to a frequent friends house. They made camps along the way and their territory expanded to where there werent jays.

I have never seen a jay bully anything but a killer bird.

Hawks, about half of them will not kill and the sparrows will pretend to attack them. The sparrows are like a little kid with a big uncle around good hawks. I mountainbike over about 8000 square mile area in central mass ( 100 miles X 80 miles ) and numerous species follow me, meet me in spots and they will occasionally say a sentence in English.

Last week at the end of a 16 mile bike path that starts 2 miles from me were countless of my little friends. I live in a hirise now so i dont have a feeder, At their winter spot they said "they feed us millet".

Royal wing sunflower seeds are a must and doves love them, like planters all the little creatures know the difference.

Baby birds like the food on the ground because it softens the shells, this is incredibly important for them.


I am not so much a birder as a mountainbiker yet my feeding of them has brought me great joy and i always have a friend nearby.

I taught many of them to speak , being vegan and not a threat to them, they are a constant joy

Anonymous said...

..they sure are part-time carnivores...one flew down and grabbed a baby chipmunk right on our porch, and flew off with it.

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