My son Alex and I were sitting outside trying to get some sun when the quiet we had been enjoying was interrupted by the screech of several blue jays. We looked over at the feeders where a dozen or so house finches and chickadees were eating. One of the blue jays landed on top of the feeder and began screeching until all the birds that had been eating scattered to the nearby trees.
“Look, at him.” I said as I pointed to the blue jay. “He doesn’t even want anything to eat he’s just going to sit on the top of the feeders making sure no one else can get anything.”
Alex looked over at him. “Do you think he knows he’s being a jerk?”
“I’m pretty sure he does.” I pointed to all the other jays screeching at him as if egging him on.
“They’re all kind of acting like jerks.”
It was at that moment a cooper hawk swooped down just missing the blue jay at the top of the feeder.
“Whoa!” I looked over at Alex. “Did you see that?”
Alex looked up in the tree that the cooper hawk landed in. The blue jays weren’t far behind as they followed the hawk up in the tree and surrounded him, screeching the whole time.
“Okay, maybe they weren’t acting like jerks. Maybe they were warning the other birds that there was trouble around.”
We listened as the jays kept it up until finally the hawk lifted off the branch and went further into the neighborhood. The blue jays keeping up their verbal assault as they followed him.
I looked over at the feeders as the smaller birds began slowly coming out of hiding and flocking back, chirping to one another as they began pecking at the bird seed again.
I laughed as I pointed to the feeder. “It’s like watching the scene in the Wizard of Oz where Glinda the good witch tells the Munchkins that it’s safe to come out of hiding.”
A few minutes later the blue jays were back and were quieter now.
“Well, I guess the danger is over.” I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes.
It was seconds before I heard a blue jay begin screeching again. I opened my eyes and saw the jay on top of the feeder again and all the smaller birds had scattered.
I looked over at the the other jays sitting on the branches close by but this time they were slient. The jay on top of the feeder was hopping back and forth his ear piercing screech beginning to get on my nerves. I looked over at Alex. “What do you think his problem is now?”
Alex shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe he’s looking for a thank you?”
I shook my head. “Okay, fine.” I got up and went to the container on the deck where I kept the bird seed and also a bag of peanuts. I grabbed a handful of peanuts and threw them out in the yard near the blue jays.
All the jays came out of the trees, landed in the grass, grabbing peanuts in their beaks before flying back into the trees.
I went back to my seat next to Alex and sat down and looking over at the feeders where the smaller birds were back and eating. “You’re welcome!” I called to them.
“What?” Alex looked confused.
“I just paid off their debt for the use of the blue jay muscle.” I looked over at the blue jays as they were busy eating their peanuts before I leaned back and closed my eyes again. “Finally, some peace and quiet.”
Slice of Life 