The Odd Diet of Blue Jays -Did you Know Birding?(episode 1) [HD]

Cat food anyone? or perhaps a side of paint?
Welcome to my first video to the new series, "Did You Know Birding?" This episode talks about the interesting diet of blue jays.
Music Cred.
Cherry Blossom Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
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Sources:
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www.hww.ca/en/w...
Photo Credit:
Blue jay being fitted with Radio transmitter from Wilkes University
House with paint chipped off by blue jays taken by owner of home, Debra Jasek's
Also find LesleytheBirdNerd here:
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Sources:
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[@LesleytheBirdNerd]

Birds Make Happy Shirts available until Dec, 1st Here's a link :) www.bonfire.com/happybirds/

[@denniswells6386]

Next time someone calls me a bird brain I will say thank you! Birds are so clever, Love them, must be because I'm getting older.

[@renebobadilla1885]

Same here..

[@triggersights]

I once saw a Blue Jay pin a baby dove to the ground and murder the nestling with its beak. Then it looked at me like "You got a problem?" I just kept walking like I didn't see anything.

[@jeffsuriano629]

Lmao, "no problem here"

[@sherrieoneillthompson7061]

A blue jay raided a house sparrow nest box, and had the 4 babies laid out like peanuts in a row. I don't dislike Jay's and have had a couple of really neat ones around. But that was pretty grim.

[@GoogleAccount-so4ge]

@@sherrieoneillthompson7061 good job jays! more space for native birds!

[@adamforest1986]

Yikes

[@jorgecallico9177]

Just business as usual birdsights. I once pulled a mouse from a sticky trap. It had so much glue stick to it's body that I decided to euthanize it. Rather than let it suffer. It sure wasn't going anywhere so I dropped it on the back porch and searched for something to kill it with. But before that happened? Mr Bluejay, who'd been observing my struggles hopped down from the neighbor's fence, jabbed his spear of a beak straight through the still living animal's fucking head... Then flew away to finish his meal in private

[@mygirlbossempireiscrumblin108]

This suddenly appeared in my recommends and honestly im not disappointed

[@moobutt]

Oh, this lady is definitely Canadian. You could hear it as soon as pouch and then house 🤣. Bless your flappy headed hearts.

[@kiddfaith4397]

I fed them peanuts, boiled eggs and scrambled eggs from a basked I installed on my balcony. They adored them.

[@juanitahuisentruit1989]

Once while camping ( ice fishing)in Colorado a Bluejays came and stole a pancake off the griddle while I was making breakfast he even waited until I flipped it lol I will always remember how shocked I was that winter day in 1973

[@sherrismith281]

ALWAYS enjoy learning from your videos.YOUR voice is pleasant to my listening ear!;÷)♡

[@a.i.privilege1233]

For the first 4-5 years that I lived in my current home I cussed the "woodpeckers" for waking me up every weekend by pecking on the lime stone at the front of the house. Turns out it was the blue jays lol. Ever since I researched it I have tossed egg shells from my boiled eggs out for them and they leave me sleep in as a thank you.

[@mrskinner8473]

You finally listened!! "Food please"

[@alicemcpherson7961]

Good job!!!

[@a-bird-lover]

2:12 the blue jay is like "Could you please NOT?"

[@Emiliapocalypse]

Lol that’s hilarious. I was laughing at his expression too. That side-eye shade he’s throwing is just superb 😂😂

[@debe6028]

😂😂

[@jeffsuriano629]

Very funny

[@SmilingIbis]

They do love Meow Mix. I've filmed them with my trail camera in the back yard where the catfood dish attracts them, possums & squirrels.

[@bethtagliarino8553]

Is it ok (healthy for them) to feed them meow mix??

[@wmluna381]

We feed some feral cats at work and the starlings are so much worse than the bluejays eating up all the cat food.

[@evandugas7888]

@@bethtagliarino8553 I think so. I know that crows can safely be fed cat food in rescue situations and they are closely related to crows.

[@sumibear]

Thank-you! I have been hosting a blue jay breakfast party on my deck every morning this winter and wanted to know more about them. Glad to hear their bad rap is not all that bad.

[@russelder9743]

Lesley---you made my day, I feed my Blue Jays peanuts in the shell, I would watch them eat 1,2,3 whole nuts in the shell and thought I was seeing things, thanks for the info....lol

[@ccdogpark]

They have a pouch/cavity to hold peanuts in and then they take them somewhere and spit them up and either bury them or eat them later. They are not eating the entire shell.

[@kiddfaith4397]

Try feeding them scrambled or boiled egg; they absolutely adore it. I also had a feeding station, and included cooked egg along with peanuts.

[@wmluna381]

@@kiddfaith4397 Good to know.

[@wizeguy4155]

G, 3 or more peanuts in the shell? How big are your blue Jay's? I'm raising one that doesn't seem to get that big.

[@russelder9743]

@@wizeguy4155 Some not all swallow hole shell and all...my Blue Jays upstate NY are pretty big birds and I spend a fortune on them as well as Chipmunks and all my other feathers friends...have a wonderful Memorial Day

[@grannygamerquilter]

Oh my stars, the video is amazing! The clarity and beauty of the blue jays is incredible. I would never have thought about the cat food or egg shells, but it makes sense. Thanks for sharing!

[@adelembpr]

Use to feed blue jays and mocking birds bread from my kitchen window. They would call out to me to feed them. Very cheeky.

[@joannedupras6379]

I'm so happy to learn that Blue Jay's can benefit from my egg shells that I now save for them. I didnt know to sterilize them so I will going forward. Love your videos!

[@kiddfaith4397]

Make sure to crush them fine.

[@mdeighty]

@@kiddfaith4397 boil the empty shells? The video has normal eggs boiling, i assume she just used stock egg cooking video for that part

[@taiya001]

Survival experts clearly have been taught by these babies. They recommend crushing egg shells into a fine powder and adding it to food or drink to get the calcium. Man such clever birds.

[@gourdsbyjm]

This is fascinating! I'm just beginning to have time to watch birds and the more I do the more fascinated I become with them. I only wish I were younger. Living in the country with 50 acres of mostly forested and shrubs with a few open areas lends to having a lot of bird wildlife around. I began by drawing then wanted to photograph them and now I can't stop looking up and listening. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. The world needs more of this.

[@LesleytheBirdNerd]

Thanks so much for the nice comment, Jana. It's great to know that you appreciate this video. Maybe you already have seen the others but just in case you didn't, there are 6 other videos like this one. They are all called "Did You Know Birding?"! By the way, the area you live in sounds like paradise to me. Must be so beautiful.

[@SmedleyDouwright]

Very interesting. Blue jays are fun to watch.

[@LesleytheBirdNerd]

I agree, awesome birds. Thanks for watching!

[@notallthatbad]

These birds always get me to stop and listen, one of the only kind that will. They have a stunning array of different sounds. Truly a singing bird.

[@alsuncat]

Wasp's built a nest on my roof overhang, the size of a basketball. I knocked it off during the first winter snow when the wasp slow down. In the morning I looked outside and a Jay was tearing it apart. By the time I got home from work there was nothing left but shredded paper.

[@gerryfedde3040]

It's not just Blue Jays that have devloped a taste for dry cat food. Here in North Carolina I have had five other species feeding or carrying off nuggets: Common Grackle, House Sparrow, Cardinal, Carolina Wren, and Red-bellied Woodpecker. I've also had Red Spotted Purple and Silver Spotted Skipper butteflies in the cat bowl, but what they were doing there I haven't the faintest idea.

[@Littlebricksfusion]

Unfortunately these amazing blue colourful feather beings are not native to Europe. I loved to watch them in Canada (BC), there was one nesting in the backyards near the home of my friends, and sometimes it comes and perches outside the window; during the wintertime the kids usually leave seeds there for birds.. Also it's an interesting treat to be trusted by these species, but at the bird feeder the Blue Jay scares all the other birds away☺☺ I enjoyed most of your videos, I really love birds for some reason, and I love your fantastic stuff. Simply stunning and excellent work. Best wishes from Germany, Nena G.

[@LesleytheBirdNerd]

Thank you, Nena, glad you enjoyed the video. All the best

[@BrigitteCavanagh]

I have never seen Blue Jays in British Columbia, Canada.....i saw them in the Province of Quebec. You are lucky to have seen them in B.C

[@lm2017]

Wow, I already learned something and I'm not even one minute into the video yet! I always love to watch your videos! Thanks for sharing, blue jays are very resourceful just like all Corvidaes!

[@lm2017]

Wow, paint? That is so amazing! I knew that a lot of birds eat pebbles for digestion and calcium, but that's amazing!

[@LesleytheBirdNerd]

:) I was surprised when I learned that as well. Such clever birds, never ceases to amaze me. Thanks a lot for watching the video and for the nice comments.

[@mrskinner8473]

Corvids are my fav bird family. Mostly bc of their intelligence but I'm also so drawn to their shine and beauty

[@jeffcanyafixiy]

Awesome!! Did not know about the wasps nests nor calcium/paint behavior. 👍👍

[@creatorwise]

Fantastic video, Lesley. Thank you so much for all the painstaking work to create it. I'm sure it was a labor of LOVE. You gave me a new appreciation for my blue jays, who absolutely rule my feeders. More than two thumbs up, two arms up \o/.

[@LesleytheBirdNerd]

Thank you so much. It really does require a great amount of work to do these little videos, so I really appreciate your thoughtful and kind comment.

[@BrianPellerin]

Bluejays eat wasp nests? Perfect

[@KnightPilot]

Love this! Please do more episodes :)

[@LesleytheBirdNerd]

:) Thanks so glad that you enjoyed it. I have 5 other episodes already completely done and ready for upload. Plus I'm currently working on 6 other videos. More to come :)

[@wandasteeves5239]

Girl, mine counted 8 cashews , but I had lots water out.. they bring me so much joy, I’m a New subbie ❤️👉🏻🇨🇦

[@StarlightEater]

Thx for no commercials you're a boss

[@lisal1093]

Thank you so much for the precious information. I have a few blue jays in my yard in the Upstate New York. I really enjoy watching wild birds eating food right on my deck. I love them! 谢谢！

[@shad3128]

I saw one eating a roadkill squirrel several times nearby. Right in the guts lol

[@FuriousMess]

My neighborhood Jays love cat food, shelled peanuts, sunflower seeds, wild bird seed and anything else they can scrounge. They even share the bounty with the Wrens, Cardinals, Tit Willows and Woodpeckers.

[@amyrodriguez176]

I love your videos, and I love bluejays, they are so smart and precious, I'm so glad I found your channel, I've learned so much, thanks

[@LesleytheBirdNerd]

You are very welcome. Thank you very much for the nice comment. I'm so glad that you enjoy my channel. Many more bird videos to come :)

[@davidsavage6227]

My jays LOVE peanuts, and they prefer to take them roasted, unsalted and still in the shell. Very happy to report that the bluejay population in my area seems to be recovering from nearly zero.

[@executivesteps]

Fermenting Juniper berries. My blue jays gorge themselves on Juniper berries (gin) as they ripen and fall to the ground. They often then fly to the treetops and screech with delight!

[@colvinator1611]

Excellent video Leslie.

[@carolingram5948]

For a couple of summers in Wisconsin I had at least 1 Robin eating dry cat food that i had out for my cat. Love your videos! The last couple of winters I was able to spend the winter months in Florida and had Tufted Titmouse at my feeders. This which was great because i always wanted to see them but their range does not include Wisconsin.

[@grasscutter1963]

Wow, what an education! That is some really good information, thanks Lesley.

[@Bay_0k]

I came here expecting Regular show and Mordecai in the comments. Was disappointed that it was just comments of people being fascinated and liking this video showing how well it was made

[@jmarcus0101]

Same

[@Gingersdad]

not everything is about regular show, real nature exist you know

[@sharonthegreat5264]

Thanks! I have a jay in my neighbourhood with a badly damaged beak. He (or she) made it through the winter with the help of its mate and backyard feeders. Since it can't open shells I have been chopping nuts. Tomorrow I will try cat kibble sand egg shells too.

[@LesleytheBirdNerd]

Aww, that is so thoughtful of you to care for the jay enough to chop the nuts up for it. Thanks for being so kind and helpful to the jay! Hope the cat food helps him, too!

[@robertanderson2285]

Amazing birds!

[@Kiefsti]

Truly fascinating!

[@mostlynature6848]

Fascinating birds. Great little documentary.

[@LesleytheBirdNerd]

Thank you :)

[@jillforsthoefelgrant3013]

Very helpful information and intriguing video! I will be sure to save my eggshells and sterilize them! I often wondered about this. I had to pitch a dozen broken eggs just a few days ago. Now I know! We always do better when we know better :) Thank you!

[@LesleytheBirdNerd]

Glad you enjoyed the video, Jill. The birds will be grateful to see those eggshells :)

[@mfthom]

Wonderful first episode. Your videos are always a treat. A while back one of our scrub jay friends was eating the spackle from a porch repair. Good to learn it was not some kind of substance abuse problem.

[@LesleytheBirdNerd]

Thanks a lot!

[@georgeanngash9896]

So beautiful

[@maryberry6067]

Great information . Thank you.

[@chadtellevik5479]

Very interesting.

[@kimdang2212]

I'm amazed how they can eat a peanut & acorns. Thank you. Your fans.

[@Melospizia]

Our Stellar’s Jays eat dog food off the porch when it’s left out. My dog is very gentle though, she doesn’t chase wildlife, so they get away with it pretty easily.

[@sergeidruchinin]

Чудесные сойки и весьма познавательное видео!) Благодарю, Лесли!

[@dianawoods6991]

Beautiful birds 😊

[@jeffsuriano629]

Leslie thank you so much for that calcium tip, during the video I was wondering what I could provide to them other than paint chips and then next thing I know you come up with a perfect solution. I will be sure to boil them first.

[@Emiliapocalypse]

My bird seed and black soldier fly larva just arrived, and soon after putting them out, I had four blue jays appear at once! It was the most I’ve ever had. Now I want to do all I can to attract them. The fly larva I buy has a lot of calcium in it, and I like to give it to birds especially in the spring during egg laying time. I had no idea I could give them egg shells too! I save them for my garden, but now I’ll share them with my blue friends too. Thanks so much for this :)

[@seanhenry4830]

Very helpful and informative and will help me enjoy my backyard full of blue jays. Thank you.

[@Theranchhouse1]

excellent info...Thank you

[@tjh2a]

Paint chips, wow. These guys are so smart.

[@STRIKE9606]

It’s crazy that I haven’t seen a single Regular show reference

[@mairwaugus5203]

Bluejays, yah ruthless.

[@kellywellington7122]

Blue jays show up in my garden when my neighbor's blueberries ripen. Every summer, right on schedule. This year, I got not only the usual repeat pair of blue jays, but a pair of scrub jays, and a lone Stellar jay.

[@denji4434]

I think this bird will be great friends with racoon

[@auntmayme8119]

House paint? This could be the reason why the kickplate to my front door is so ratty looking; much like the house you showed.

[@GratefulDeb270]

Another wonderful video! Ty!

[@belwynne1386]

I am going to start saving egg shells for them. Properly sanitized, of course!

[@TUKByV]

They're not greedy. When a blue jay finds more food than it can use, it will call other jays before it eats itself.

[@judyjudyjudy9593]

Oh, I learn so much from you! Thank you for giving us the information. I have quite a few Blue Jays around my yard & they do get the cat food. I have even seen them go into the out building (where I feed some of the cats) to get the cat food. I don't mind because I enjoy them as much as I do the cats! Every animals is welcome to come and eat at my house! I was wondering if there is some kind of Winter protection/housing I can make available for the Jays? I know some of them stay here for the Winter so I would like to provide for them. I had a bunch of grapes & which I put them in my suet feeder....the Jays had them gone in no time! Your bird videos are so appreciated! Judie

[@alwayslearning3671]

crushed oyster shells are given to chickens to help them make harder eggshells

[@fionaproctor6330]

Thank you! Did not know this about blue jays. I have blue jays going back 15 years and I’m sure they must be of the same family. They get missed fees, black sunflower seed, peanut spurt and whole peanuts I put out for them every morning. I will now (early spring] start putting out some crushed egg shells! Thank you again for your informative and pleasant videos.

[@johnquest1044]

Lesley OH NO, I just watched a Bluejay pecking an seemed to be eating and removing the cement in between the brick layers on my house!?? Help! Ha

[@Howoldareweanywayyipes]

I give mine nuts in a shell... i mostly crunch them once because some of them are super hard... you're a nice bird lady.

[@Bellavita60]

In italy a relative of the blue jay was a called’ghiandaia’ or acorn bird!

[@sombradiaz6405]

Thank you very much for the information. Love your videos, I have learn from you how to feed my blue jays on my back yard Hermosa and Azul. You are amazing Leslie 💕🦜

[@fennotheyounger]

Thank you for your work and BlueJ pleasure - I love my local pair. They are very territorial. At my feeder, the doves and finches and anything else that happens to be around when my pair (and offspring) stop by are gone gone gone!

[@JaneArtsyOtternutKirkwood]

So glad that Steve Mitchell from The Mind of Watercolor sent us over to your wonderful channel. Fabulous video about blue jays, thank you. We have jays in Scotland, but not blue jays, so it's super to see them. :)

[@LesleytheBirdNerd]

:) Hello, so cool to have some from Scotland. I love your jays, too. All the jays are pretty cool. Thanks for the nice comment. Have a great day

[@JaneArtsyOtternutKirkwood]

Thanks Lesley :) Yeah, all the corvids are so intelligent and are great to watch. At this time of year we have running battles for nesting sites in the trees out back between common crows and magpies. The magpies especially go recruit troops to help defend sites from the crows...so fascinating. Have a great day too :)

[@LesleytheBirdNerd]

That is so cool about the Magpies. I so wish we had magpies here. They are the coolest birds, so smart.

[@humansavages832]

Jane Kirkwood Going to Google your birds in Scotland

[@yourenough3]

I'm falling in love with my jays their so smart 😁

[@davesherwood211]

I've seen Hawks attack Blue Jay's nests and eat the eggs or babes. The Jay's go crazy and attack the hawk making a unique Cry.

[@MeMe-vd3kg]

Fascinating stuff. We are birding enthusiasts but have just sort of taken blue jays for granted. I started researching a bit after I saw one on the ground making a chuck-chuck-chuck call that I had no idea they made. One thing let to another to another to another and I ran across this video. I am definitely going to give this awesome bird some more direct study. Thank yo for this great video!

[@LesleytheBirdNerd]

You are welcome. Glad you came across my video :)

[@feetgoaroundfullflapsC]

They have a Neck Sack to carry up to 7 small peanuts away.. Funny to see them picking them 6/7 peanuts and fly away..

[@feetgoaroundfullflapsC]

They have a Neck Sack to carry up to 7 small peanuts away.. Funny to see them picking them 6/7 peanuts and fly away..

[@toddberg3892]

Great work - thanks for the education Lesley! Our Jays didn't stick around this winter but will certainly put out egg shells and maybe some cat food this spring. :^) Hope you're having a mild winter.

[@LesleytheBirdNerd]

Thanks a lot, Todd. And I'm happy to say that the last week has been very mild, in fact it has been raining off and on the last few days with more on the way. It's nice to see the lawn :) Hope your winter has been good, too.

[@omnio2043]

Awesome video! Who knew you could learn so many neat things about blue jays in four minutes.

[@LesleytheBirdNerd]

Thank you kindly. :)

[@SanJuanMountainBob]

Outstanding video Lesley....I learned a bunch. When are you going to work for National Geographic? Seriously, it was that good!

[@LesleytheBirdNerd]

Haha! This made me smile so big. Thank you so much for the nice compliment. I don't know if I'm National Geographic material, though but it's a nice thought for sure. Thanks a lot for watching the video, Bob, I appreciate it so much. A lot of research and editing goes into a video like this. I have 5 more episodes fully completed and ready to be aired, and I'm currently working on 6 other videos for this new series. So lots more to come. Every Sunday I will be uploading a new episode so stayed tuned :)

[@Yuoskalola]

She''s way too good for them

[@Brainwashedmorons69]

Five Jay's visit every morning, waiting for peanuts. I can set my watch by them.

[@american_warrior724]

I saw 4 Blue Jays today !!! One rested atop a tall Cottonwood n began calling. Very soon, 3 others came n sat close by in same treetop. It was awesome bc I dont see near as many Blue Jays as i used to as a kid.. 20 minutes later , one of them came fairly close n was in Honeysuckle.. I couldnt really see what it was doing, but it seemed to have found something to eat. Its winter so, its slim pickings. No, it wasnt eating the little red berries, as there was none... ?

[@mrskinner8473]

My BJ couple loves raw almonds and peanuts of course most. They hardly ever mess with the sparrows, finches or doves. If anything they will help chase off pesky blackbirds which devour the feed. The BJ don't really mess w the feeders

[@gloriadumas1100]

My favorite birds ❤❤

[@chumchum4393]

Loving your videos!❤

[@Mully410]

Nice series. Can't wait for more!

[@LesleytheBirdNerd]

:) Thanks, Craig!

[@seus2731]

oh thank you for this video, tons of info on how to feed our "pet" blue jay who comes to visit us EVERYDAY for the past 2 years, we are in So. FL.

[@LesleytheBirdNerd]

So happy that you enjoyed it.

[@lucrative6477]

we recently started feeding the squirrels in my yard and the blue jays would occassionally see us and steal all of the nuts. like you said i thought they were greedy jerks because they would steal 3-4 nuts at a time and clean them all out.

[@sneetchw]

Eggs and nestlings... my favorite ;)

[@lisafox1001]

Fascinating information!!! Thank you 🙏 LesleytheBirdNerd!

[@LesleytheBirdNerd]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@kenkrauklis765]

I noticed that my Blue Jays like to help themselves to the little piles of corn I put down to help keep the deer for eating my bird feeders clean. They seem to love collecting the corn.

[@rxlo1062]

My new favorite channel 👍

[@joniangelsrreal6262]

Thanks!

[@juanitahuisentruit1989]

I so enjoy the Bluejays that come every morning to get peanuts I put out. I was just thinking about buying cuttlebones to hang but now I will just save my egg shells after boiling thank you for this information

[@cattailer1077]

Thanks for the BJ food suggestions. I wasnt sure what to add my bird buffet that they would like. 🥰

[@MrCocksuckme]

Awesome!!! thank you!

[@WhistlesToAnimals]

As someone that feeds birds, this topic comes up with my human visitors. Here is a question: do they eat birds as a last resort? As in, if they have plenty of acorns, peanuts, sunflower seeds; would they be a threat at all at that point? I seen a grey squirrel grab a live bird and eat it on the internet, but I attributed that to it not having enough food, and that was a rare sight. So, if you provide plenty for your local blue jays, will the other birds be safe if they nest nearby?

[@kevinbradleygardeningandou9767]

Great Video very informative thank you. You should send some of your videos to David Attenborough maybe he needs a bird nerd. Your presentation is very professional.

[@LesleytheBirdNerd]

That is very kind of you to say that. David Attenborough is my hero. I love everything he does! Thanks for watching my video and for the very nice comment.

[@kevinbradleygardeningandou9767]

You are very Welcome. :-)

[@LostLakeLass]

Gag me!