Unusual Blue Jay "song"
Keith G. Murphy
staccato buzzing sound up in a neighboring tree.
Upon looking in the tree I was surprised to see a Blue Jay. I'd never
heard this kind of sound from one.
When I looked closer, I saw something large in his beak. Presently, all
was explained.
He had caught a large cicada, and the buzzing sound was explained by the
cicada buzzing in between being beaten against a branch by the jay!
(Here in the Memphis, Tennessee area, we have a lot of these very loud
cicadas this year).
BTW, the Blue Jay's regular song is quite beautiful: that sort of clear,
short "tweedle-it". I heard one the other day that had such a clear,
sharp tone that I didn't know what on earth it might be at first: it
sounded almost bell-like, or like two musical stones being struck
together.
Dusty Bleher
Lakes (eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada's, mid-California). As I sat
drinking my morning coffee, I heard what could only be described as a rusty
water pump--you know, the old fashioned straight-handled kind--being pumped.
The fidelity and sound was so clear, and so much like a pump that I had to
look for the source (because I knew the camp had "city water" and no
pumps...). To my surprise it was a Jay. While I'm not positive at this
late date; Scrub-jay, I think. I know that Stellar's Jays are there too,
but I wasn't as into birding then as I am now. But I do know for certain
that it was a jay.
Hearing that sound coming from what's usually a scolding jay, really took us
by surprise. He would also make some beak-clacking kind of noises. Given
that it was either late May or early June (i.e. very early spring in the
Sierra at 7,500 ft.), I suspect that he was engaged in
courtship/mating/territorial behavior...
I've been back there many times since. I even managed to tame the jays
enough to feed them peanuts by hand. But I've never heard that kind of
expression from them since...
Best regards,
Dusty Bleher
San Jose, Ca.
Keith G. Murphy <keit...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:37A3908A...@mindspring.com...
lynda_m...@hotmail.com
My husband thinks it sounds like a rusty gate hindge, I think it
sounds like pulling the clothes in from the clothesline with a rusty
pully. They also make a "yikes" type sound, and always announce
themselves when coming in for peanuts. With all those fledglings, I
often get 10-15 birds swooping in at once. The youngsters whine, and
often sound like a kitten crying. We have one baby Jay that sticks
around the house all day. I suspect that he's just left his parents
or has been orphaned. He's doing ok, but cries most of the time,
especialy when other Jays fly in. I saw him going inside the cedar
hedge at the other side of the house the other day. The hedge lines
the driveway and is about 12 feet high and 40 feet long. It's very
dense and I suspect he's taken up residence there.
Lynda
On Sat, 31 Jul 1999 17:44:00 -0700, "Dusty Bleher" <du...@fsinc.com>
wrote:
TheFez62
"tweedle-it" sound and also a longer one that sounds like
"tweedle-eedle-eedle-eet". The "tweedle" sounds are clear and lovely, aren't
they?
HAL 1455
Blue Jays also like to imitate hawks. I was in the Great Swamp a couple
months ago and thought for sure that I heard a Red-Shouldered Hawk, but it
turned out to be a Blue Jay doing an excellent job mimicking the call.
I've wondered why Blue Jays do this. Are they trying to scare away other
birds from food sources?
W.H. & S.V. Nester
Could also be the reason why Red-Shouldered Hawks are also known as "Jay
Hawks". Apparently, someone else recognized the similarities of their calls
many years ago.
What surprised me was to see a small squirrel in Florida (at Blue Springs
State Park) flattten out on a tree trunk when a Red-Shouldered called from a
nearby tree top, and the squirrel, although motionless, would respond in a
near mimic of the Red-Shoulder, although much quieter. I have the episode on
video tape, as the squirrel was on a tree adjacent to a nature boardwalk.
(Must have been a "Jay Squirrel"!)
Bill N.
Bernie Daniel
very intelligent birds and display a good deal of mimicry in their
calls and songs.
Their most common sound by far is the call note, the "Jay Jay" cry ---
its kind of harsh, fairly loud often given in flocks.
Less common but still quite frequent is the "bell note" often
represented as QUEED'LLEEE. Very melodic and with good deal of
individual to individual variation.
Jays also make a number of croaks, growls, "cuckoo-sounds" chatters and
harsh screams a s well asundefinable sounds esp. about from this time
of the year to late fall. It seems to me to be between parents and
just-fledged off-spring. Knowing how it is to raise a human teen-ager
I can sympathize with the adults!
And as noted Jays also like to imitate hawks mostly the Buteos. They
do the Red Shoulded Hawk call most often in my experience but aslo can
imitate the Red Tailed Hawk and the Broad-Winded Hawk. I have also
heard a Blue Jay do what I thought was an imitation of a Cooper's Hawk.
If you hear a Hawk and think it does not seem just right, keep
listening, if its a Blue Jay, he will often end his "imitation game"
with a true, single Jay Jay call.
Blue Jays are one of my favorite creatures -- without a doubt.
Bernie Daniel
Cincinnati
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Exchange ideas on practically anything (tm).
Liz H
been eating cat food from bowls on our front porch for several years
now. He does wait until the cats are finished before he flies in.
Liz H. Houston,Tx
Bob Hogue
: Does anyone else have a Blue Jay that eats dry cat food? This bird has
: been eating cat food from bowls on our front porch for several years
: now. He does wait until the cats are finished before he flies in.
: Liz H. Houston,Tx
--
Although I haven't seen this myself (no cat here), I have seen many
postings about the use of dry cat food to attract birds, including Jays.
I think it's fascinating to watch Jays and have also heard tales of those
who have had Jays land on their hand for food. Not sure I'd want to try
that, given their feisty nature. :)
TheFez62
I was keeping catfood outside for awhile and the blue jays and grackles were
eating most of it, so I stopped. The grackles especially seem to love
it...they often dip it into their water bowl before eating it.
Gayle
My mom has Steller jays regularly come onto her porch to eat the food she
sets out for the feral cats.
I visited someone in Santa Barbara who had gotten two scrub jays hanging
around her yard to snatch peanuts from her hand. She named the two jays Piggy
and Greedy.
Gayle
Richard P. Talley
I offered him the choice of kitten food and cheddar cheese and he
took the (extra sharp) cheddar.
I put out puppy biscuit for the crows, and the jay will occasionaly make
of with the biscuit.
Don't have any cats, but a possum has discovered how to knock over the
plastic bucket where I keep the kitty food. Possums are real climbers.
Richard
On August 03 1999, Liz...@webtv.net (Liz H) wrote:
> Does anyone else have a Blue Jay that eats dry cat food? This bird
> has been eating cat food from bowls on our front porch for several
> years now. He does wait until the cats are finished before he flies
> in. Liz H.
> Houston,Tx> x
toni
toni
Pamela Brooks
TheFez62 <thef...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:19990801172918...@ng-fa1.aol.com...
Hi,
Have you heard the sounds coming from of the Baby Blue Jays. It's actually
kind of pittiful.
They sound like they have a very bad case of the laryngitis. They are
getting better with their calls now that they are getting older.
They normally start around 5:30 in the am.
My neighbour really hates the sound of the baby Jays at this point of time
but Oh well, it only takes a few weeks for them to make big changes in their
voices.
Cheers...
Pam Brooks
Bedford, Nova Scotia