Thursday, April 21, 2011

Sneaky jays

Have you ever heard a jay mimic a hawk's cry? The Steller's jays around our place cry like red tailed hawks. I guess it is pretty common for them to do this. The ones around our place will get up in a tree near where the juncos, towhees, sparrows, and other birds are eating from the feeders. They make that hawk sound several times, scattering the smaller birds. They then fly down and eat in relative peace, not being bothered by the little birds. Sneaky jays. I've even heard them whine like my dog and make a sound remarkably close to a pig squeal. Don't know what good those sounds do for them though. :)

2 comments:

Paula said...

I didn't know Steller's Jays would mimic! I'm used to their regular screech, which always reminds me of camping because that was the only time I heard them. They were only in the campgrounds, but not at home.

They sure show up at this house though, and I like to hear them for that reason; they remind me of fun summer days....

Lana at Farm Life Lessons said...

This is very interesting! We had a huge blue jay at our last house that would come to our back patio and take a huge chunk of dog food. It was amusing. They appear to be pretty tough birds!

Lana C.