I have a lot of mixed feelings about Blue Jays. They are undeniably beautiful and intelligent birds, but they have a lot of ugly behaviors. Maybe that big brain just causes too much trouble? Blue Jays can empty a feeder in no time, caching the seeds where they can eat it later. I’ve watched them carry away other bird’s nestlings to devour. They are bullies. On the positive side, their intelligence is pretty impressive. They are gifted mimics. I’ve been fooled more than once by a Blue Jay imitating a Red-tailed Hawk.
Jays figure out things very quickly. I wanted to get some good photos of them away from a feeder, so I got creative. I took a thick dead tree branch and hollowed it out with my drill press. Then I filled it with peanuts and hung it in a tree next to our kitchen. The location had a nice background for photos. In no time the woodpeckers, Tufted Titmice, Black-capped Chickadees and Blue Jays were investigating it. Knowing exactly where the holes were allowed me to prefocus the tripod-mounted camera with a 200-400mm lens and a wireless remote shutter trigger. I sat inside and blasted closeup photos while hanging out with the family.
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