Blue Jay Babies
We were fortunate this Spring to have a pair of Blue Jays build their nest in the tree right outside my office window. What a treat! From three eggs to three baby birds, I was able to watch daily mom and dad switching off feeding the babies and protecting them by sitting on the nest. Of course, camera and video were always in hand!
As the babies grew bigger and bigger, I took some time to do some research about Blue Jay habits, and following is what I learned.
The Blue Jay has long been thought of as a “bully” and “robber” because they are sometimes known to eat others’ eggs or nestlings. However, they are largely vegetarian birds and prefer a diet of acorns, nuts, and seeds, but they will also eat small creatures such as caterpillars, grasshoppers, and beetles.
The Blue Jay is actually a member of the Crow family and thus has “no fear.” Both Crows and Jays have been known to gang up and harass even owls and hawks! The Blue Jay is an excellent mimic with a sharp eye and voice that they use to their own advantage.
The Blue Jay does not always migrate away. It just might stay around the same location for the duration of the winter. They are fairly social and are typically found in pairs or in family groups or small flocks. We found that to be the case here, as sometimes as many as six to eight Blue Jays would come to feed. It can be difficult to discern the male from the female jay as they look very similar.
Blue Jays have a tremendous ability for survival with little amount of effort, although their numbers in New Jersey have been dwindling of late.
We were able to take many videos of this lovely Blue Jay family. Watch one, watch a few, watch the entire Blue Jay Playlist! We hope you enjoy them as much as we did.
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