scrub-jay ~ 06/07/11 ~ at home

western scrub-jay
Aphelocoma californica

Mom is apparently showing her young how to wait on our balcony and look into the windows to see if we're around to feed them peanuts. I posted pictures of mom and one of her young from May 29, 2011. I'm amazed at how big the juveniles have grown in 9 days. The tops of their heads are quickly getting more blue feathers. They're very curious and have checked out all my container plants and moved my decorative sea shells around. I worry they may fish for the Pacific chorus frog tadpoles I'm raising, which should have another 2 months before they metamorphose. I'm always very careful to not leave my caterpillars exposed when I change clippings; I've seen the jays enthusiastically eat insects.

tree year project 2011, #8

juvenile western scrub-jay perched on coast Douglas-fir
Aphelocoma californica perched on Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii
Pinaceae

posted 06/19/11 - Sometime around the second week of May, I first noticed my friendly scrub-jay's 3 youngsters. They were pretty awkward flying and mainly watched mom from the branches of this Douglas-fir I'm featuring in the the Tree Year Project. After getting a peanut, she would always fly back to their low nest in a nearby oak tree, I think to encourage the little ones to follow her for food. Then a late night ruckus happened, which sounded too much like a raccoon/scrub-jay fight, and I only saw the one pictured above for almost 2 weeks. Since then, two of the juveniles have been loudly following mom's every move. She chases them away from our balcony and will quickly sound an alarm call if a hawk is in the area. In the past few days they seem to get up before she does, and one quickly snatched a couple peanuts from me yesterday morning. Each one is a little different in voice and boldness of behavior, like stealing mom's stashed peanut from a pine cone. It's been a real joy to observe the mother scrub-jay teaching her young.

http://thetreeyear.wordpress.com/tree-year-posts/life-on-the-tree/birds/

tree year project 2011, #4

double rainbow from home
February 19, 2011

Although we see double rainbows fairly frequently if and when it rains, this was the best photo I've managed to get so far. I like the colorful umbrellas down on the Rec Trail of people turned to watch this natural beauty. If you look closely, my favorite friendly scrub jay is perched on the top of the unidentified pine toward the center of the photo. And, yes, the coast Douglas-fir that I'm featuring in The Tree Year project barely shows itself in the bottom left.

http://thetreeyear.wordpress.com/tree-year-posts/around-the-tree/weather/

my first tree year project post

western scrub-jay perched on coast Douglas-fir
Aphelocoma californica perched on Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii
Pinaceae

I don't often join in blogging groups and group nature activities. Sheesh, keeping up with Nature ID is already enough of a time-consuming hobby for me. However, I immediately liked the The Tree Year project idea: pick a tree, observe it and everything on or around it as often as you can, then share your observations.

I've already been observing this coast Douglas-fir for the past few years, which is located right next to our 3rd story balcony. Click to see all my past posts that include mentions or pictures of this tree. While I plan to write more later, I had a good laugh looking back to when I began this blog - back then, I wasn't sure which kind of jay came to visit me for peanuts or what kind of gnarly tree was growing within a few feet from home.

Similarly, I'm curious to watch how this The Tree Year develops.

Much to my own mixed dismay and delight, I've been hand feeding peanuts to our local western scrub-jays. The particular individual pictured above has continued to visit me through the fall and winter. It often hides the peanuts in the odd looking tailed pine cones of the Douglas-fir. I've wondered whether it knows how to find its stash, but I've since read western scrubs have a very good memory. Last summer I was feeding 4 different jays. They all looked very similar, but each had their own personality and behavior. I wonder what happened to the other 3 jays.

http://thetreeyear.wordpress.com/tree-year-posts/life-on-the-tree/birds/

wordless Wednesday #1

western scrub-jay

Aphelocoma californica

I know it's not kosher to feed the birds, but I've made "friends" with this jay using peanuts. He's brought some of his younger family members (note the grey head in the second pic) who are more vocal. I feel like I should give them names.

ps 02/17/10 - In the past week, the scrub-jays have returned for their peanuts. They were missing for a couple months.

scrub-jay ~ 06/03/09 ~ at home

white western scrub-jay
Aphelocoma californica

I saw this bird two early mornings before the sun came up around our place. A western scrub-jay was closely following it. It doesn't have the dark wings of a northern mockingbird, but I've never seen a white-colored scrub-jay before, either.

ps 05/18/12 - For the past few months, Andy and I have seen a bird like this one hanging out near Dewey St., Central Ave., and Sloat Ave. It's always being followed by one or two very blue-colored western scrub-jays. I got a close look one evening, and it's definitely a light colored scrub-jay. I would have had a picture, but an EMT friend happened to pull up in her ambulance to say "Hi!" I hope to see both her and the white bird again.

pss 01/20/14 - As I was looking for something else, I came across Don Roberson's 2012 highlights including a leucistic western scrub-jay.  Aha!