HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE - SHARING A BLUE JAY TAKEN BY...

our son on a walk near where he lives. I am always grateful to him for sending his photos as I haven't taken any birds lately. I share some facts about them below.

They are known for their intelligent, noisy nature and are important for planting oak trees by burying acorns, many of which they forget, helping to spread and plant oak trees. 

Their striking blue color is an illusion created by the feather structure scattering light, not pigment, a phenomenon known as light interference. 

 Many notice that Blue Jays, who are fairly quiet during the spring and summer, are noisy little neighbors during the fall. In spring and early summer, when they are nesting, they tend to be more secretive. Come fall, when they are scavenging for food and hawks are more present, they communicate a variety of information and warnings through their calls. Blue Jays can also mimic the calls of other birds, including hawks.

They use their crests to communicate mood and aggression, with a flattened crest indicating relaxation and a raised one signaling stress or threat. 

They develop strong social networks and have complex social behaviors. 

You can't tell the difference between a male and female Blue Jay, they look identical. 

They eat a variety of foods, including nuts, seeds, insects and even the eggs and nestlings of other birds.

They prefer deciduous or mixed forests but can also be found in suburban areas and city parks, especially those with oak or beach trees. 

Blue Jays can live for a long time; the oldest known wild Blue Jay was almost 27 years old.

Blue Jays have been known to chip at and hoard light-coloured paint, probably to stockpile a source of calcium for the spring. If Blue Jays are chipping away at the paint on your house, try providing an alternate source of calcium like crushed egg shells – this usually stops the unwanted behavior.

More information can be found at this link.

Thanks for looking and with thanks to my dear son who provided the photos for today's blog post.

Have a great day everyone!