Had to drive a blue jay to the wildlife rescue today and what I saw surprised me

[Baltimike]

Raven Elphaba Obama Hollingsworth Van Halen, or Elphie for short, snuck out this morning and decided to attack a blue jay. She was VERY proud of herself. I thought I'd be cleaning up a dead bird, but the little guy was still moving, so I called the wildlife sanctuary and they told me to bring him in. The place is WAAAAAY north in Baltimore County, usually a solid red area.

I saw many more Biden flags than Putin's personal boot licker. More bumper stickers too.

I hope the blue jay makes it. I really do.

[hlthe2b]

1. I do too. With our wildfires, reports of massive songbird die-offs in NM, I've been watching closely

I've seen some dead passerine birds, but not dramatically above what we'd see with West Nile Virus.

Fingers crossed. We have the most beautiful yellow finches that have made a comeback in recent years and this spring I saw my first bluebird in a decade.

I can't bear unnecessary death. Hell, I even scoop up my wolf spiders when found inside and carry them to a protected area outside.

Good on you for trying to help the bluejay.

[Arkansas Granny]

2. I hope he makes it, as well. Many people don't like Blue Jays and consider them to be bullies.

I have several that frequent my yard. They love the peanuts that I put out for the birds and squirrels.

I live in a deep red area and have only noticed one Trump yard sign. I haven't seen any Biden signs, and the one I had got ripped off. I just got notice that the flag I ordered has been delivered. I'll hang it from the porch roof so it will be very visible.

[Klaralven]

7. They are occasionally predatory

Blue Jays are known to take and eat eggs and nestlings of other birds, but we don’t know how common this is. In an extensive study of Blue Jay feeding habits, only 1% of jays had evidence of eggs or birds in their stomachs. Most of their diet was composed of insects and nuts.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Blue_Jay/overview

[ihas2stinkyfeet]

16. haven't had them here since '02. west nile wiped them out.

lost all our crows, too. crows have come back slowly but havent seen a jay yet.
we need them too. ssooooo many sparrows, it's crazy. starting to crowd out the songbirds.

[Blue Owl]

3. As I finished reading your post...

And I kid you not -- I looked out the window and saw a blue jay land in one of my tree branches. Hope that is a good sign for the injured blue jay!

[StarryNite]

4. Awww

That gave me chills. I used to volunteer at a bird rescue. Birds are very dear to me.

[Baltimike]

14. You just made my day!!

He had some feather pulled out of him, so i imagine it will be a minute before he's back to normal

[LizBeth]

5. I did this spring, and was a baby blue jay. A cat was in a limb right above eyeing it so I could not

leave it alone. I could not get it back in the nest so I took it home. Fed it mushed soggy dog food and it ate lots, thru a straw, just getting food in the bottom part and sometimes blowing into its mouth to get out of straw. It was all very interesting. Lots of suggestions, I finally found a wildlife rescue. An hour out. Lovely drive, and I felt good the baby was being taken care of.

It was interesting how attached and how quickly I became with the baby.

And good to hear lots of Biden posters.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

17. I raised up a starling

Helped him,he was in my yard with a broken leg. He was just breaking out of his pins. I have rehabbed birds before and returned them to the wild. I named the starling Rodan. He was able to say his name by time he was let out into the wild. He had to grow up some,and his leg had to heal up. He was a sweet bird. Sometimes I really miss him.

Btw my cat Othello never goes outside without a harness and leash and me holding the leash.

[LizBeth]

18. Good for you. It was very satisfying taking care of a little helpless.

One of my big issues with cat people is them letting the cats out with no restrictions. For the birds, but causes havoc with dogs too that are on leash. I had one cat when I would get off work and walk dog at midnight, stalk me. Pissed me off. Every night, I would start hearing its bell. All I want is some cat going after my dog late at night. Bell was for the birds I am assuming. And i hate the cat fights in middle of night, with open windows. More cause i am sensitive and hate fighting and hurting than the noise.

I did see a young man with a cat that leashed it and let it enjoy the warm sidewalk and had a blast interacting with and watching them.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

20. I am a

Total cat adorer. I love cats first,then birds.
When I was helping Rodan
The cats never laid a paw on him or threatened him.

He was kept in a cage. Cats didn't bother him.

All the cats I have had over the years know that certain critters I take in to help are part of our clowder. They do not hurt them. I also had a rat named Ivory whom the cats I had at the time loved. When Ivory got sick they would protect her and comfort her. They were worried about her.
Rat was allowed out of the cage to play with the cats. It's funny to watch a rat chase a cat.

I think cats should be kept inside because of the dangers outside. I take Othello out in a cat sack I wear against my chest,and he's always in harness and leash. I walk with him for exercise,and he travels with me.

Again they should be kept indoors because of the dangers to cats. A dog can kill a cat. I am not a huge dog fan.
I don't want him catching birds,so he stays in.

The belief that cats need to be outdoors at night is stupid.
All my cats were strictly indoor cats and they were quite content. Nobody ran to the door when it opened because they had no desire to go out unless I was taking them out with me.

[LizBeth]

21. +1

[Withywindle]

6. That really is a magnificent cat name

Thank you for your kindness and your uplifting report. I hope the blue jay makes it too.

[Wounded Bear]

8. Have see similar things in Trump areas of my blue state...

maybe not a lot of Biden swag, but far less Trump trash.

Anecdotal evidence to be sure, but like you said...

[Lunabell]

9. Wishing the blue Jay a speedy recovery.

And, yay for the signs! I think most Americans are tired of its shit. Biden has to win. I just can't take 4 more years of this insanity!

[Disaffected]

10. Good on ya.

I used to volunteer for a wildlife rescue, and public participation is mandatory for a successful operation (bringing in injured or orphaned wildlife and alerting the organization to the same so they can be rescued).

Might be an idea though to consider keeping your cat indoors or, at least on a leash while outside in a safe area (that's what I used to do). Outdoor cats are pretty much just as vulnerable as the animals they prey on (for instance, when I had an outdoors cat, it very nearly was carried off by a Great Horned Owl and, coyotes are pretty much everywhere these days, even in the city).


Oh, wait, just re-read your post and noticed the "snuck out" part so, apologies, the above does not apply in this case.

[Shermann]

11. Odd, I saw this exact same thread title on a conservative forum I was on today

Haha yeah right!

[Baltimike]

15. are you serious right now? nt

[Harker]

12. They're a tough bunch...

The local clan called in reinforcements to drive off a Merlin.

The neighbor with the Trump flag is a pest...

Blue Jay's are a raucous delight!

[wendyb-NC]

13. I hope he makes it, too.

Thank you, for taking him to a place of hope and kindness, Baltimike. If I had to drive through a heavily red area in the far reaches, I imagine I'd heard the "twilight zone" song playing. It looks like you were pleasantly surprised to find many a Biden supporter, what a sigh of relief.
Thank you, for posting this, it gives me hope, to hear that sometimes change happens.