A Bird I've Known the Longest - The Blue Jay

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I had a musician/sound engineer friend from Dartmouth, NS who took in injured animals, including a Blue Jay, which he noticed was adept at imitating almost anything. So one day he recorded the bird in his studio for close to three hours. He then sequenced out the different sounds it was making (which he played for me) and that Blue Jay imitated over 300 different sounds including: a screen door slamming; a Coca-cola jingle; a newscast; dogs barking; laughter; cat's meowing; city busses going by... It was astounding, and it's no wonder to me they use this skill as a kind of verbal camouflage to trick other birds... and not surprisingly made me feel more proud to have been named after a Blue Jay by my parents.

When a tree came down in our back yard we discovered a nest with three newly hatched jays. We took the nest to our screened back porch. Our daughters took turns feeding the little ones moistened "Meow Mix" as they grew and developed over the next few weeks. Some small trees and branches were placed on the porch to familiarize them with the outdoors. The County had a wildlife and nature preserve with a rescue facility. The facility included a small building that had a window open to the outdoors. It was a sad day when we took the fully fledged Jays to that facility. We kept in touch daily and learned that the Jays came and went through the open window until all three left and never returned. It was a great experience for the family. We can hope the Jays were able to make the transition to the outdoors. As a footnote, our neighborhood had so many cats we felt their only chance for survival was the nature preserve.

Indian legend: when a child dies their soul goes into the blue jay. I lost my daughter in 1989 and heard that legend early at compassionate friends. I’ve followed them ever since. Very special bird. Thank you. I did learn so much.

Wonderful video! Bluejays are very special to me. I was very ill in the early 1980s with high blood pressure issues. At that time I lived right on the banks of the Raisin River in Michigan. I would sit quietly in a chair on my balcony (legs crossed) overlooking the river. One day a blue jay came and sat on my foot. He stayed a long time. The next day he did the same thing. He came to see me every day that summer, and eventually started bringing several friends with him. The flock would all sit on the balcony railing and wake me up every morning. I will always treasure my deep friendship with them, and that special time in my life. They were there when I needed them. I eventually got well, and I think my bluejay friends played a part in my healing. I love all birds. My daughter's name is Robin.

I call them the Gangsters of my feeder. They show up, everybody leaves. Even the squirrels! 😛

I found a dead one under my oakleaf hydrangea this summer it made me incredibly sad... but I also took it as a compliment that it picked my flower bed.I gave the Bluejay a very big older male a proper burial.

I can't believe I'm just finding you! Great Channel!

I love Blue Jays. For years now, I've feed them peanuts on my window sill. They are so friendly and brave. Once when I lived in the far north, I had a Gray Jay who would fly right into my living room to get peanuts. Too cool.

I used to think "Oh, its just a blue jay." Now I can't get enough of them!! Thanks in part to YOU Lesley!! Thank you!

Enjoyed the video very much. I have quite a few Blue Jays who show up first thing every morning for the peanuts that I line up on my deck railing. I call to them when I go outside and they fly to the deck from the woods when they hear my voice. My maternal grandmother fed peanuts to the Blue Jays so it’s in my DNA.

I've read that blue is one of the rarest colors to occur naturally. It's almost always done by scattering. Kinda cool! Love these little guys and gals.

CONGRATULATIONS ON TEN YEARS of sharing your VAST KNOWLEDGE of Birds with SO MANY OF US!!💙💙💙

Sweet Girl giving Blue a seed was just so sweet♥️

Blue jays were always my least favorite bird at the feeder. They seemed to bully the other birds and scared off some of my favorites when they came to the feeder. However, through Lesley's videos I have come to love the Blue jays and understand their personalities. When I go out to fill the feeder, the Blue jays seem to have the most to say. I even got a tray feeder that I fill with peanuts and sunflower seeds, which the Jays seem to really like.

One of the most interesting things to me about blue jays is how much more active they are in the fall compare to other seasons. I see and hear them everyday these days. In my neighborhood (South Canada), blue jay calls dominate bird songs in falls, robins in summers and cardinals in springs.

Bluejays are often treated as pests by people who feed birds. Thank you for educating us! Fabulous footage. Thank you!

Confirmed that Jays do the "Hawk screech" here in N.H. to scare other birds off my platform feeder on approach

Blue jays always were the harbinger of summer as a child. Their distinctive call was always a part of late spring and early summer. When ever I hear the jay's call, my thoughts always harken back to my youth.

I live in California and I have a Blue Jay couple that comes back to have their babies in my lemon tree. I have both a bird feeder and a bird bath. I have grown to love these birds and their babies. Thank you for this video.