Blue Jays?
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Geoff Niswander
Jan 15, 2023, 2:37:50 PM1/15/23
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Is it just me (near East Washington village), or are there others here experiencing a blue-jay-free winter so far? Usually I have to tolerate their numbers around the feeder, but this year the question is, “what numbers?” as there aren’t any. Avian flu?
Pam Hunt
Jan 15, 2023, 2:42:45 PM1/15/23
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Geoff et al.,
Blue Jays cleared out of much of NH this fall because there was a poor acorn crop. Despite the fact that we see them all all year, Blue Jays DO migrate, and the ones we have in winter might not be the ones we have in the summer. However, the extent of their movements is strongly tied to mast crops like beech and oak, and more move out when nuts are scarce. I recall seeing some quite large flocks this fall while birding here in Concord, and in many cases these migrating birds were earlier than the usual earl/mid-October schedule. Somewhere to our south birders are seeing more jays then usual as we're seeing fewer.
Pam Hunt
Penacook
Blue Jays cleared out of much of NH this fall because there was a poor acorn crop. Despite the fact that we see them all all year, Blue Jays DO migrate, and the ones we have in winter might not be the ones we have in the summer. However, the extent of their movements is strongly tied to mast crops like beech and oak, and more move out when nuts are scarce. I recall seeing some quite large flocks this fall while birding here in Concord, and in many cases these migrating birds were earlier than the usual earl/mid-October schedule. Somewhere to our south birders are seeing more jays then usual as we're seeing fewer.
Pam Hunt
Penacook
Geoff Niswander
Jan 15, 2023, 5:38:16 PM1/15/23
to NHBirds
Thank you, Pam. I appreciate your knowledge!
Roger Stephenson
Jan 16, 2023, 6:45:15 AM1/16/23
to gizam...@yahoo.com, NHBirds
We have plenty in Stratham Geoff!
On Jan 15, 2023, at 2:37 PM, 'Geoff Niswander' via NHBirds <nhb...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
Is it just me (near East Washington village), or are there others here experiencing a blue-jay-free winter so far? Usually I have to tolerate their numbers around the feeder, but this year the question is, “what numbers?” as there aren’t any. Avian flu?
Patricia Wood
Jan 16, 2023, 7:26:05 AM1/16/23
to rstep...@gmail.com, gizam...@yahoo.com, NHBirds
There are many Blue Jays at my feeders in Exeter, as well. We “normally” expect three in our winter backyard flock but we are seeing four to six at a time this winter.
Patti Wood
Exeter/Lempster
Sent from my iPhone
On Jan 16, 2023, at 6:45 AM, Roger Stephenson <rstep...@gmail.com> wrote:
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paul
Jan 16, 2023, 9:44:55 AM1/16/23
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Exactly the same number of Blue Jays and scenario at our feeders here in Epping.
Paul & Lynn Kursewicz
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Ginger Wells-Kay
Jan 16, 2023, 11:28:03 AM1/16/23
to pkurs...@myfairpoint.net, nhb...@googlegroups.com
No bluejays all winter, to date. Unusual for wooded Cotton Hill, Belmont, NH.
Sent from my iPhone
On Jan 16, 2023, at 9:45 AM, paul <pkurs...@myfairpoint.net> wrote:
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Linda M. Charron
Jan 16, 2023, 12:38:51 PM1/16/23
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I have had 2 to 4 Bluejays at my feeders all winter. We do usually have many more but I guess some migrate and some don't. they are here everyday!
Linda Charron
Linda Charron
Carolyn
Jan 16, 2023, 12:56:08 PM1/16/23
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We have Blue Jays.
Carolyn Payzant
Way north Manchester
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Elaine Faletra
Jan 16, 2023, 5:53:14 PM1/16/23
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I only have one Blue jay that occasionally shows up at feeders in the morning with the Evening grosbeak flock - very slow for my location this winter.
Any info on how our Canada jays are doing this winter in the White Mountains? Very few reports this winter. Perhaps few birder/hikers?
Elaine Faletra
Warren, NH
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Mascoma Chapter NH Audubon
Jan 16, 2023, 6:31:34 PM1/16/23
to elaine....@gmail.com, nhb...@googlegroups.com
Interestingly, not long after I did my blue jay posting this morning, I was at the Lyme Country Store. A neighbor, knowing of my birding proclivity, said, "Blake. I'm not getting any blue jays at my feeders. Where have they gone?"
Blake
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--
Mascoma Chapter of NH Audubon
FirstChAoS
Jan 16, 2023, 11:28:22 PM1/16/23
to NHBirds
Only a couple blue jays lingering in Richmond and I see them at my feeders infrequently. Most of them cleared out.
Chickadees on the other hand have huge numbers this year.
Sadly the predicted finch irruption is a disappointment. This winter I saw one evening grosbeak and heard one red crossbill, that is it.
This talk of bird numbers fluctuating has me wondering on regional movements of year round birds.
Are the chickadees and blue jays you see in summer the same you see in winter? If not do the flocks ever mingle and exchange members as new ones move into the area? What about birds like song sparrows who seem to migrate downhill and birds like finches who seem to be a toss up on if they will hang around all year or not?
FirstChAoS
Jan 18, 2023, 10:16:25 AM1/18/23
to NHBirds
Out of curiosity I looked at a few of the population centers in the state on my Audubon App’s explore feature.
The places without any blue jays the last few days are mainly the north country, a couple spots in the lakes region, and Manchester.
However only two locations had more than two jays in a sighting. 4 in Rya and 10 in Claremont.
Patricia Maxwell Wood
Jan 18, 2023, 6:20:24 PM1/18/23
to mena...@gmail.com, NHBirds
No Blue Jays in the woods around Lempster during my three-mile hike on Sunday. Usually, they are a noisy bunch annoying any smaller species at the two-three feeders that are at the “year-rounders'” homes on the lake.
I am only in Lempster once a month for a day or two to see how the mouse traps are doing, dream of summer on the lake and enjoy an amazing walk along quiet roads in the woods.
Patti Wood
Exeter/Lempster
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Don Audy
Jan 18, 2023, 8:28:27 PM1/18/23
to NHBirds
Someone mentioned Blue jays were scarce in Manchester. Must be a City thing, lol. We have 5 to 10 resident Blue Jays in the suburbs of Manchester, on Hackett Hill.
Bill Chaisson
Jan 24, 2023, 12:57:22 PM1/24/23
to NHBirds
We have not seen a single blue jay at our feeders here in Wilmot this year and we put them up in November. I don't hear them when I am walking in the woods either. They are just gone.
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