Hand feeding Jay

1 of 6.

Eating bread.

2 of 6

More bread.

How great! I'm hoping to hand feed some birds when the weather gets warmer. Thanks for sharing this with us trois.

3 of 6.

Almond slivers today. He dropped one.

You are welcome!

4 of 6. More almond slivers.

5 of 6.

Still more. Picking little pieces from between my fingers.

6 of 6. Just about stuffed.

Trois,

Fantastic photos! How did you get the Bluejay to eat out of your hand?

Marilyn

How did you get the shots of the Bluejay while he/she is eating?

Marilyn

First, I placed food on my cap and stood very still. The Jay slowly started looking forward to my morning walks. Once he trusted me, no fear of me at all. This only works when they have no young, as in the late fall and winter.

Autofocus is necessary for one handed pic taking.

That is so neat!!

Notice how she's not in the pics? That's because she's probably dressed up in blue feathers. ;-)

It just takes time to let them overcome their fear.

I know this is the male as I have seen them both together. Not quite the same. She has no interest at all in being hand fed, and likely thinks he is nuts.

Great photos!

Thanks, bsavage!

Hey guys, you can click on trois' ID to see the pic where he is eating off of his cap. Too cool!!

Oops! Is trois a he?

teehee, you were magpied! Er, jayed.

Trois is a he, look at the pic on his home page, he is dressed in blue, a very similar blue to the Jay! it probably thinks he is a she too!

I love the pic of him on your cap trois.

That was just so neat to see, thanks for sharing those.

You are welcome!

Sorry to put a damper on the idea . . . but hand-feeding jays isn't a good idea. Jays will eat almost anything, so when you're not feeding it, that means it may be eating septic roadkill carrion, or rooting around through dog turds for tasty delights. Then the next thing it does is come and perch on your hand with dirty feet and bill. Also jays, like all species in the crow family, are very susceptible to west nile virus. Finally, he may get into the idea that your fingers also taste good!

Resin

Yikes!
Let's just hope all that good feeding is keeping "Blue" a healthy bird, and maybe giving him a taste for richer things, lol.... Now that they are friends it would be sad if they couldn't have their visits.. If I were trois, I would continue as long as the bird is civil..

I know ya care Resin.. those are very well founded warnings. Probably best said for the rest of us too. Thanks for caring o/

The one with him eating from your cap is too too cute trois! Guessin DW had to take that one?? The pictures are a great experience! Glad you shared!

PS. Trois and I discussed a similar thing with lizards before, I am certain he promptly washes his hands well with anti-bac after their visits...:-D (Carrying a small bottle of purel on the walks might be good too.)

This message was edited Jan 3, 2007 7:01 AM

trois - My mother used to work in a trailer out in an area where there was a bird sanctuary. The Scrub Jays used to fly into the office trailer when the door was left open because my mom liked nuts and kept them on her desk. They got very friendly with her and some of the other folks that worked there.

Unfortunately, her boss hated them. He never hurt them, but that was always a concern of my mother. She was afraid that they might be too tame and would eventually get hurt or worse by someone who found them to be a pest. One day, the friendly Jay brought it's babies into the trailer to meet everyone and that is when my mother and others decided to just leave food outside and not interact with them anymore. Most all the folks loved these Jays, but were very worried about their safety because of how tame they had become.

That's a hard call because it is so neat to spark a relationship with our wildlife. But sometimes it is not in the best interest of the creatures we so dearly enjoy and love. I'm not passing judgement at all, just bringing up a situation that my mom encountered and how they had to eventually deal with it. Hopefully, your Jay is a bachelor or doesn't bring his family around to interact with you. :-)

From Trois' other posts, he lives way out in the boonies and in a warmer climate where his birds would probably stay close. I wouldn not worry for their safety. I would love to be able to hand feed any of the birds like he does. As with all animals, especially wild ones, sanitation afterwards is a must and I am sure he knows that.

Sorry, but it doesn't work so nicely . . .

Well, we both have had West Nile this last year, but not from the Jay. It was from mosquito bites, as our new neighbors installed an apartment complex of Martin houses and they ate all the Dragon Flies that had been keeping the mosquitos under control.
Dr. Goldman, MD, that lives near also interacts with his Jays, and he has several that even nest on his porch. He would disagree with you an several counts, as he considers one mosquito bite far more dangerous than a healthy Jay. As he says, at night the Raccoons and Possums feel, sniff, and try to eat every thing that is outside. So anything such as garden tools, plants, and so forth have had contact with wild animals. Also, the incidence of sick feral cats is rare here compared to in the city, where human garbage is available. We have lost a number of Jays to West Nile, but the ones living at Dr. Goldmans and on my porch didn't take the hit. These Jays also know their friends, as our other neighbors have never been approched, and our Jay hides when they are around.

Actually Resin, I know a LOT of people locally who adopt all kinds of baby creatures from all over the place and raise and release them. And they also take them to the vet. I do understand the possible health issue for humans, but the likelihood of one bird being sick is probably pretty slim. My guess is that trois's Jay is just fine! :-)

Trois - Oh good! I was hoping you'd post a response. Thank you! Those Jays are smarter than I thought. You must be enjoying your feathered friend so much! (I am jealous that you have such a neat relationship with your bird!)

This message was edited Jan 3, 2007 9:29 AM

I love that you are able to do that Trois. One day I will accomplish it hopefully

Slow movements are necessary at the start.

My birding buddy is 8 years old, so we will see how that works out..LOL. I am showing him how to be very still now.... good hobby for the lil guy I think..

I think Resin cares a lot, I felt it in the letters, hehe.. It is a well founded mention, as he did very well.

Trois have your Cassia seeds dried yet? (The one you had those stellar Sulphur cat pics on.) I have Passionvine (Purple Maypop), seeds for Gulf Fritillaries ..will be happy to trade.

Deb

That Deb, always thinking seeds! LOL!

They were still green a few days ago. I will check when the rain stops.

Thank You!

Trois- there is a HUGE antique shop / junk store along the highway as you head towards a town called Prescott up here. They have several windows (small ones) they leave open year round. The reason is so the hummingbirds can come and go at their leisure. They even nested one year on the antlers of a deer head mount, pretty awesome! Sure startled me the first time I was walking around and saw one just sitting there on a dried flower arrangment- I thought it was perhaps a stuffed hummer until it flew up and around, then perched on a hat rack! I hurried to notify the salesperson, who told me all about their 'pet' hummers!
Sadly- we drove past there Christmas weekend and it appeared like it was closing. :(

Beautiful bird!
Susie

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This message was edited Jan 3, 2007 10:21 PM

The Old Stage Road out of Prescott is one of my favorite places in this country. The one going up to the Ranger station, with snow most of the year. That valley with the giant Aspens is a marvel. It is a dangerous road though, with the cliff hanging and no guard rails.

Too bad about the shop. The hummers here are not as easily attracted and are usually in transit to elsewhere.

Susie thats an adorable story! I love the Aspens too...sounds like a beautiful place.

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