A Day Late But Here's The Blue Jay

Sorry for posting late this week but I had a busy weekend. As you can see from the title and picture the blue jay was voted bird of the week. I'll tally those not chose and add them to next weeks voting. Right now the rose-breasted grosbeak is in the lead.

The blue jay is a larger (12") bright light blue and white bird, with a crest that moves up and down at will and black collar and necklace. They have a white face and gray belly. They have single white wing bars on blue wings. They also have black spots and a white tip on a blue tail. The female looks the same as the male and the juvenile is the same as the adult but more dull in color.

Blue jays build a cup style nest that both male and female construct. The nest consist of twigs, bark, leaves and man made objects. It's then lined with fine rootlets placed in a tree. They have between 1-2 broods per year and lay 4-5 eggs which are green to blue with brown markings. The incubation period last 16-18 days and the female incubates. The fledgling stage is 17-21 days and both parents feed the young. You can always tell if your near a nest because blue jays will not hesitate to sweep down on even humans if your close. I remember getting dive bombed walking to and from school when I was younger.

Their diet consist of insects, fruit, carrion, seeds, nuts and cracked corn. I found that one of their favorites is whole peanuts in the shell. They will come to a feeder, grab the peanut then go work or store it in a tree. During the winter they were very vocal if I did not have peanuts in the feeder. I always put them out the night before and by noon they were letting me know they were out. If you decide to feed them peanuts in the shell, remember to get them with no salt. Salt will kill birds. There was a story on the news a few years ago about a lady finding dead birds in her yard. They come to find out she was feeding them Saltine cracker. So when feeding peanuts of any kind remember NO SALT.

As far as migration is concerned, they are a non-migrator to partial migrator. By partial migrator I mean they will migrate and move around to find abundant food. It took me a couple years to get the blue jays visiting in my back yard. Once they were there I kept them by keeping them happy with peanuts.

Blue jays are a very intelligent bird that is good at problem solving, gathering food and communicating more than other birds. If you have them around I'm sure you've heard their shrill scream like a hawk to scatter birds at a feeder. They have been known to eat eggs or young birds from the nest of other birds. They can also act as an alarm in the woods letting out a loud scream when they spot intruders. I've seen that act to many times while deer hunting. The are also one of a few birds to store food as I mention with the peanuts earlier. A final interesting fact is they don't really have blue pigment, rather refracted sunlight cast a blue light.

If your not getting blue jays in your yard yet you make want to give it a shot. Yes they are noisy and yes they clear birds off a feeder when they want in. But the beauty and color they bring far out ways some of their bad habits. During the winter nothing look better than fresh falling snow and to have both blue jays and cardinals in your back yard at the same time. The blue and red against the white snow is enough to warm anyones cold winter soul.

Until next week keep the birds fed and watered and also to remember to vote in the side poll for next weeks bird. Have a great week.

The Downy Woodpecker

This weeks winner by popular voting is the downy woodpecker. The male to the left was captured by me yesterday enjoying some suet from my suet log. The logs are not very expensive usually $15 to $20 and they sell the plugs at most bird feeding stores. You can also expect chickadees to stop by as well.

A small woodpecker (6") which has an all white belly, black and white spotted wings, a black eye line, short black bill, a white stripe down the back and the male (like the one in the picture) has a red mark on the back of his head. Also you'll notice small black spots along the sides of its white tail. The female looks the same as the male but lack the red spot on the back of its head. Juveniles are the same as the female with the exception that some have a red mark near the forehead.

They are a cavity nester which can be attracted using nesting boxes. If you go to a bird specialty store they do sell nesting boxes for them. I should mention they are the least likely of the woodpeckers to use a nesting box. I found this out after purchasing mine. The box has been up for 3 years now and I've yet to have them nest in it despite the fact I get plenty in my back yard. They do excavate their cavity and both the male and female participate. They have 1 brood per year and lay 3-5 white eggs with no markings. Incubation last 11-12 days and both male and female incubate. (the female during the day and male at night) The fledgling stage is 20-25 days and both parents feed the young.

The downys diet consist of insects, seeds and will visit suet and seed feeders. I've found that any suet which contains peanuts they will like it. Also they like raw peanut half's. Not only do I use a suet log to feed them but I also use an upside down suet feeder. The one in the picture is mine and I purchased it from wild birds unlimited. It's a little more expensive but it's made from recycled plastic and will last forever. The nice thing about it is the grackles and starlings usually never figure it out. The other nice thing is that it is protected from the elements and last much longer with out getting mold on the suet. As far as using it, they use it as much as any other feeder I've used. Also you can purchase a cage type peanut feeder that allows you to place raw peanut half's in and the woodpeckers and chickadees love them.

They are a non migrating bird and you can enjoy them all year. Their habitat includes woods, farmland and suburbs. They are both abundant and wide spread where ever trees are present. Both male and female participate in behavior called drumming. This is loud, continuous and very rapid pecking on branches and hollow logs to announce their territory and attract a mate during the breeding season. When excavating a cavity or pecking for insects, the sound is different as they are light taps in irregular rhythms.

The downy is an easy bird to attract if you live in an area with plenty of trees. They are a joy to watch all year round and you can always count on them during the winter to brighten up your yard. I encourage you to try and attract them to your yard with suet and peanuts and once they arrive you'll be happy you did. I've found them to not spook very easily as many times while filling feeders I'll look around and there they are just a couple of feet away eating.

Remember to vote in the side bar for next weeks bird. Also continue to feed the birds even though it's summer and food is abundant. Birds often bring their young to feeders and the young often return to those feeders with their young in years to come. I hope you enjoyed the post and I'll be back next weekend with a new bird.

Indigo Bunting

No real unusual bird sightings this week. The weather has been extremely hot but the bird activity has been consistent. The humming birds come in all day to lick nectar. Remember if your feeding them to change your nectar more often during hotter weather. I usually change it twice a week and this week I changed it three times.

Now to this weeks bird the indigo bunting. While this is probably not a common bird in most peoples back yard, it is a bird that can be found with a little effort.

As you can see from the picture the male is a deep vibrant blue with scattered dark markings on the wings and tail. It's actually a black bird and does not have any blue pigment at all in its feathers. Like the blue jay, sun is refracted with in the structure of the feathers making them appear blue. When you see one in the sun they really light up and appears iridescent. The male is usually the only indigo noticed as the female is a light brown bird with faint markings. The juveniles are similar to the female.

As far as habitat is concerned, they can be found in brush and low trees near open areas. I usually see them high in tree tops over a stream in a near by park. So the best suggestion is to check with your local bird store or park to see where they can be found in your area.

Their food source includes insects, seeds and fruit. They will visit seed feeders in the spring before insects are available. Normally they forage on the ground and in low foliage for it's food sources.

They construct a cup type nest that the female builds. It's constructed of dead leaves, weed stems, grasses and then lined with finer grasses and downy materials. They will produce two broods a year. They lay 3-4 eggs which are pale blue with no markings. The incubation period last 12-13 days and the female incubates. The fledgling stage is 10-11 days and the female feeds the young.

They are a bird that migrates and it's complete to southern Florida, Mexico Central and South America. They are another bird that migrates at night in flocks of 5-10 birds.

If you have not seen one of these extremely beautiful birds, I strongly recommend getting out while there in your area and try to find one. They are really one of the most beautiful birds you can seek out and is one of my top 5 favorite birds.

Remember to vote in the side bar for next weeks bird. The American Goldfinch already has 2 votes this week and the Downy Woodpecker has 1. Those votes are carry over from last week. Until next week try and stay cool if your in the recent heat wave on the east coast and remember to give the birds some water.

The House Wren

The bird receiving the most votes this week was the house wren. It seems to be the right bird at the right time seeing I opened one of my wren boxes today and found five eggs. The male has been singing back there for three weeks now and I was beginning to wonder if he was ever going to attract a female. This will be the second time in the past three years that I'll have baby wrens in the back yard. The male tried for a month last year to attract a female and started a nest in every wren box I had. Unfortunately a female never showed up so it will be nice to have them back this year.

Before I start on the wrens I want to mention that I went looking for the indigo bunting at a local park today and I was lucky enough to spot one with in 20 minutes. If you ever get the chance to watch them in your area I highly recommend you give it a shot. They are one of the most beautiful birds you can see.

As you can see from the picture of the wren I took today on my fence, their a small (5") plump bird with lighter brown markings on the wings and tail. It has a slightly curved bill and faint buffy eyebrows. You can often identify them because if they are on alert or startled they carry their tail cocked up. The female and juvenile look the same as the male.

Their nest is a cavity and can be attracted using nesting boxes. In the spring the male establishes a small breeding territory by singing from exposed perches and putting stick foundations in prospective nest holes. When the female enters the territory, his song becomes very high and he vibrates his wings. Once they pair up the female chooses one of the nest and finishes it by adding a lining of soft material which I've notices includes spider webbing. She will lay between 4-6 eggs that are tan with brown markings. Sources say both male and female incubate while others say the female incubates and the male feeds her during this period. I guess I'll have to pay more attention this week and see what happens. The incubation period is 10-15 days. Once hatched the fledgling stage is 12-15 days. Both male and female feed the young.

As far as food sources go they are insect eaters and forages on the ground and in foliage to find them. I've had good success feeding them meal worms from a tray or lately I've been using a cling on woodpecker feeder that has tubes that I can put the meal worms in. By doing this it helps in keeping out unwanted birds from eating from them.

House wrens are migrators and their migration is complete to southern states and Mexico.

If you have not tried attracting them to your yard you may want to give it a try. They can be aggressive to other hole nesting birds and have even been known to destroy their eggs and young. I've always found them to be very pleasant to have around and their song is wonderful. Also I love their little bullet shape and love their spunky personalities.

Remember to vote for next weeks bird in the side bar. If the bird your interested in is not listed drop me an email at ohiohunter@windstream.net. I'll put it in the voting column and if no one voted or it wins I'll be more than happy to cover it. Until next week I hope you have a wonderful week and that all the birds you're trying to attract show up in your yard.