Tuesday, June 30, 2015

The Invasion of the Blue Jays

I think people are probably in the mood for some bird-watching. We were practically invaded by blue jays in the past few days. It was a bit noisy but I got some awesome pictures.

Like this!


...and this!


And this!


And this!

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And don't think that these big blue jays were just hanging around posing for pictures. They were aggressive. It was soon clear that their behavior had a distinctive purpose.

They were keenly aware of the presence of a predator. And they exemplified the old saying that "the best defense is a good offense." They took turns chasing, squawking, and standing guard.

But what "predator" could they possibly fear outside the front of our house?

Actually, this one... poor, lazy old Reep!
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The next morning it became clear why these birds were determined to turn Reepicheep into a nervous wreck. We found a couple of little jays flitting about and scuttling along the fence, stretching their growing feathers.



The strategy worked, as this picture of a terrified Reepy makes clear. She just wanted to be left alone, poor cat.