The California Delight

             Scrub       Jay     A  California  Native

 Birds Found frequently in California 

One :  Scrub Jay 

Scrub Jay is a very Intelligent Corvid, (Species: A. California, Family: Corvidae) with beautiful Plumage and a strong capable beak.  they do summer-saults and dive to obtain their food.  They prefer, Ticks, Insects, berries, nuts Black oiled sesame seeds, and chunks of bread.   

California Scrub Jay is unique, the one around my backyard or home is always burying things in the ground while Foraging, hiding pieces of Bread, Acorns, or stealing other acorns and whatever the other Jays bury.  They seem to transfer corn acorns and nuts, helping in transplantation of these plants elsewhere by carrying them in their beak. 

They are very helpful, a fact unknown to lots of people but they stand on deer, cattle sometimes picking up and devouring ticks and insects, providing relief, to the animals.  It’s a symbiotic relationship and the animals approve what the jay does.  The jay is frisky at climbing, jumping and doing acrobatic moves constantly. 

They have a very strong prolific beak, pointed and looks like claw or a hammer , open nuts acorn rather easily, but what’s really astounding watch is when they grab, food , they take a lot of seems or corn in their beaks, say 6 corn pieces or bread chucks or black oiled sesame seeds. They always have a mate around and take turns getting food and taking care of the young.  They are very accommodating partners. 

Now I will describe the Mating Ritual, this was one of the top incidents or should I mention moments of my adult life, endearing, tearjerker and very cute.  The male locks eyes with the female and flaunts his tailed lithe figure by brushing the ground with his tail as he  walks around her in circles, showing the importance of his physique in protecting, loving and feeding her and the  juvenile’s, while trying to still impress her, into mating with him.   His romantic gestures make me wonder if our men pursued us women like this half as much, we would have less divorces and more married couples.  After deciding to be a couple, Female builds the nest , while the Male guards her, again, female chooses it all, no interference from the male.  Then she lays 4-6 eggs, between March to July.    The female incubates the eggs 16 days and after the Chicks are born,  they are fully Grey with Red Crest on the heads like a comb, as they get older they turn more blue and at the tender age of 18 days they leave home. 

All in All, The California Scrub Jay is beautiful Bird, very territorial and a terror to other small birds, if they get in his way.  

By Bloggerjee       Dated October 2019