blue jays... a lot of them

[MissMillie]

My guy said he saw 8 of them in the yard yesterday. I was suspicious.

But when I let the dogs out this morning, there were at least 6 in the yard across the street, and even more in your yard.

I don't think I've ever seen more than one at a time. They're mean birds that usually scare off other birds, and I always assumed that even other blue jays are scared off.

I wonder what's out there that's attracting so many.

[Frustratedlady]

1. They always fly into my pergola of bird feeders in groups of 6 or more.

Immediately, all other birds (and squirrels) leave and sit in nearby bushes until they are gone. They are bullies, for sure.

[CrispyQ]

2. A weather event?

We've had different birds at our feeder due to the forest fires this summer/fall.

[MissMillie]

7. local forecast says we're supposed to get 1-3 inches tomorrow night

into Thursday.

[samnsara]

3. we have Stellar Jays and they are so obnoxious and noisy, other birds dont want to be near them..

[LastDemocratInSC]

12. Do they wear miniature MAGA hats?

[SWBTATTReg]

4. I don't know what attracts them...they are kind of neat, and sure like to chatter up a storm...

lucky you...it is kind of neat to watch birds during the wintertime...I do miss my Mom and Dad's place in the back woods, watching the woodpeckers fly from tree to tree, calling out...

[Backseat Driver]

5. Interesting...

I've heard they were territorial loners, perpetrating their mean-ness within a smallish range.

So SMH: perhaps in the process of escaping a bad storm or competition and driven for their insatiable lust for nuts and/or sunflower seeds? Just tired and relying on each other that it's safe to land in and around your yard? Partying, ya know, communicating, in the words of Tom Cruise?

Interesting just the same!

[bobalew]

6. Food...

There most be a tree with winter fruit, or some other thing, like a bird feeder, nearby.
BTW, I have lost most of my blue-jays in the Santa Cruz mountains. The Ravens took over, raiding the blue-jay's nests. and killing off the offspring. This, I believe is a result of warming. Because of this, also, we've lost our local pigeon populations.

[CrispyQ]

9. West Nile virus decimated our corvid population in 2004.

I'm in Colorado. It took years to get them all back. The jays were the first, then the crows and ravens, & finally we are seeing magpies on a regular basis again.

[Laffy Kat]

10. Yes, I remember that.

It was around that time that I would see dead magpies in our back yard. It was scary.

[mopinko]

15. they were wiped out here in '02.

as were crows.
crows are slowly coming back the last few years, but i havent seen a jay since.

i love them. some ppl dont like their sound, or the fact that they eat nestlings of other birds.
but things like sparrows need to be kept in check. and these days, they aint.

[brush]

8. Jays are in the corvidae family of birds along with crows, ravens, magpies...

rooks, jackdaws and some others. They are the smartest birds and research has found them to even use tools to help them get food.

I'm not surprised that they may gang up to intimidate other birds, even squirrels.

[cyclonefence]

13. ROTFLMAO

[UTUSN]

16. "mean" - yea. A post said they are extremely smart, so then are Machiavellian, malicious!1

I saw one deliberately sabotage a squirrel (who are "roof rats" themselves). I was walking and a branch overhung the walkway. The squirrel was on the branch, well above. A jay was higher, saw the birdseye-all (me approaching, squirrel above my path), and the jay started dive bombing the squirrel to get it to fall in front of me, obviously (in the jay's mind) so that I would wreak heinous things on the squirrel. It did, indeed, fall right in front of me and dashed off. The image in my mind was of the jay twirling its mustache.

But birds: The image of their beauty, symbolic of spiritualism, good things (which can be true): When I had outside dogs with their food and water there, the birds started coming around, fine. I didn't mind their drinking and even eating. But then there was the *pooping* in the water, and the bathing and splashing in the water, divesting themselves of feathers and who knows what parasites.

When I first voiced about the dark side of birds, I got all reactions of shock, like, how can you?!1