Scrub Jay on young oak tree
With their distinctive white and blue coloration, Scrub Jays are among the most recognizable denizens of the chaparral and scrublands.
They are bold creatures, and often make their presence known with harsh, sharp calls. They like to sit on the tops of bushes or small trees, and watch everything going on around them.
If you stop to eat lunch, or look at something closely, chances are good a jay you didn't even know was there will come to investigate, as soon as you have departed.
If you spot a bird's nest, be careful you do not give it away by looking at it too long or showing too much interest - jays are very clever nest robbers!
Males and females are virtually indistinguishable from each other, but the juveniles have duller, grayer coloring.
They usually nest around chest-height in rough nests made from twigs, tucked away into ceanothus thickets or scrub oak.
I've seen similar such activity with crows. After a little picnic in the woods we wandered away and looking back, we saw two or three crows investigating the table we were at and pecking at the crumbs we'd left. Birds are fun creatures to watch!
ReplyDeleteI'm not surprised - jays, ravens, and crows are all in the same family of birds, called corvids. They have some of the highest intelligence in the bird world [outside of certain kinds of parrots]
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