Up until two years ago, I had never seen a blue jay here in Montana. At present, I have four of them visiting my bird feeder.
The term “visiting” may not
accurately describe what takes place. All
jays are by nature obnoxious—something along the lines of pre-teen boys at a
swimming pool. You can expect lots of
noise and lots of splashing around.
My blue jays flare down around
my feeder like harrier jets; often dispersing any juncos or LBJs (little brown
jobs) that have arrived before them. On
the ground, they bop and quirk around as if spring-loaded. On occasion one will perch in my nearby
linden tree and jeer at me.
But, man, are they pretty!
I am not certain why the blue
jays have suddenly established a presence here.
The range of blue jays is generally confined to the Eastern half of the U.S. That said, a few maps of their range do show
an arm of nonbreeding blue jays reaching into Montana.
Most certainly, they are here. Interestingly, my magpie regulars are not
opposed to hanging out with them.
Perhaps we might glean a message from that.
PHOTO: https://www.courierpress.com
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