Things you need to know about JAYS!

[@danvenables4935]

Had a Jay visit my garden about 6 months ago for a few visits but then vanished. Wasn't sure I'd see one again, then suddenly a few days ago we had not one but two squabbling with a woodpecker over our fat block feeder! I threw out a few mealworms and peanuts and the pair have been visiting every morning since then :) It's cool having a bird visit my garden that I've never seen anywhere else!

[@Spitalhatch]

My grandparents had a pet jay that could 'talk' as clearly as a human, even imitating my Nana humming to herself while she did the housework. It was a useful security device: the cottage was isolated and Nana was alone for much of the time. Anyone knocking at the door would hear the jay chattering away in the next room and assume that there were others in the house.

[@cosmosDiv]

lemme guess still nun happened til tis day

[@cletus1875]

I currently have a pair of jays AND two youngsters visiting my bird table daily. They LOVE monkey nuts (peanuts in their shell) I've watched them take two or three monkey nuts at a time. They store two in their neck & one in their beak before flying off. I suspect they are caching for the winter (it's October now) A beautiful but very shy bird. I feel very lucky to have them visit. Great channel Liam! 😊

[@dawnrowlands2408]

I've got a pair that visit my garden, they are so so shy though, they love the mealworms I put out, love your videos.

[@TheCandela15]

Thanks for the video! Jays are so magical, the way they look, the way they fly and the way they can make the craziest sounds ❤

[@mazoomska]

Superb content as always Liam! Love the addition of the bird calls!

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Thank you!

[@renatab8293]

Crow family are just rockstars!

[@jmar3956]

Awesome!!! I run a corvids rescue and this was great! Can you do one on the rook? I currently have two rooks in my care they are so smart and loving

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Rooks are on my list and I've been gathering footage so hopefully I'll be able to get a rook video together in the next 4 to 5 weeks :) cheers, I'm really glad you enjoyed the video.

[@Spacey7]

They are beautiful & quite large birds. Love seeing them 😍

[@skeelo69]

Another great Video Liam .... i saw something very unusual ..... i heard a loud squawking noise and to my astonishment saw two Magpies pinning a Jay by its wings, the Jay was on it's back and struggling to get free, the Magpies started pecking at the soft belly of the Jay, feathers were starting to be removed... i just could not let it happen, i shouted and the Jay was able to free itself and fly off... the Magpies followed but the Jay was gone.

[@spiritoftheforest6204]

I see Jays and Magpies outside my window...lovely birds.

[@lisawilliams7836]

What a Treat on Sunday morning with my coffee! As ever lovely video. Thank you very much 😊

[@82raptor]

Here in the U.S. we have blue jays and they are awesome. Our jays can mimic a red tailed hawk to scare rodents away.

[@studas2011]

Cheers mate, was waiting for a vid on Jays. I like these birds, it's cool how they dive down from the trees to collect a nut or something when they think you aren't looking.

[@ERGORSE]

Beautiful bird, crows mimicking other sounds. Once while in the quieter part of Loch Lomond out of reach & totally chilling in solitude & nature I was startled out of my reverie by a mobile phone ringing. 😩All was well it was a carrion crow. I’m sure it smiled at me.😀

[@pandorapiam3374]

I have a small woodland at the back of my house and also some trees at the front. I see Jays fairly often from my front room window.

[@startheangel9760]

You always hear Jays before you spot one

[@joefromravenna]

Thats true of our North American Blue Jay as well.

[@samlynx4908]

I used to hear their screams often but rarely saw one.

[@Compo67]

Thanks for another great video Liam. Beautiful birds, we have them in the area. Very cautious birds but clever. One of my favourites☺️👍❤

[@iamjimb]

We get some jays visit our garden daily, we have a feeder on our window that is mainly used by them, so we see them up close very frequently, it's nice

[@Sophia-uc9qh]

Absolutely love your videos! Thank you for making them, I learn stuff all the time from you, its so great!

[@marinacherian2755]

Wow super cool ❤

[@ishygomes786]

Just saw one this morning this video has confirmed what I saw. Beautiful bird

[@Bertil_Lundin]

Thanks for the Jays facts Liam! have agreat week! // Bertil.

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Thanks Bertil, have a good week!

[@xxDrain]

I once went out to look for a cat which sounded stranded in a tree somewhere. Took me a while to realize the meowing was coming from a Jay.

[@davidsprivate5609]

Fantastic!

[@roxanneaspogard1327]

Yep, we love Jays, they come to our Balcony sometimes, I have seen up to 10 on one tree during a late Autumn day a few years back, I am not sure, but maybe they were getting ready to fly away together somewhere.....Crows are sooooo clever and mysterious. We have many here in Stockholm, Sweden. Greetings from Scandi land.

[@davidgibbon7911]

Brilliant 👍

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Cheers!

[@ryanm9838]

16 years nine months and 19 years of age lol. Love the videos, keep them up 😎

[@jungseontv]

Good video my friend Have a happy weekend

[@paulinephillips8305]

I learnt a lot from this video, not least that they can imitate cats! Incredible. Thanks for your videos Liam, really informative 😊

[@klaasdeboer8106]

Nice work your channel! Greetings from the Netherlands, most species you speak about live allso over here.

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Welcome. I'm glad these videos will be useful to you as well.

[@johncarlo7395]

Another very good informative video, thank you

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Thank you.

[@jonathanadams7607]

I love these videos, We have most of these birds visit our garden, as we live close to the country side. We set up our bird corner in the garden 3 years ago, and the joy it has brought us watching these amazing animals, has been priceless! Keep the videos coming please! You’re doing a great job!

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Thanks Jonathan. I'm glad you are enjoying these videos and getting to see the subjects in real life as well. Lots more videos to come. Cheers

[@kennetholiver954]

I do enjoy your videos.👍

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Thanks!

[@Azrael442]

Rarely see them but have been seeing one in regents park in central london. I always thought they were migrating birds. Im in awe of them

[@markbarker6739]

I live in primrose hill and ive had one come and get nuts with the squirrals costing me a fortune in monkey nuts but well worth it

[@marianeal3164]

Thank you🐥🤗

[@raymondpenalver7095]

I always learn something new from your great informative videos !

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Cheers. I'm glad to hear it.

[@RMatra]

Very similar to the jays in America. In Northern California we have the Scrub Jay and the Stellar Jay.

[@hankschrader2906]

Nice in Italy we have the eurasian Jay

[@christinalucas246]

I'm enjoying your videos. I would love to see one on Kingfishers ❤

[@AShotOfWildlife]

I have some good news, I have done one on kingfishers which you can find by typing in the name of this video but adding kingfisher :)

[@christinalucas246]

@@AShotOfWildlife read more

[@christinalucas246]

@@AShotOfWildlife and more

[@christinalucas246]

@@AShotOfWildlife kingfisher

[@christinalucas246]

@@AShotOfWildlife Kingfishers

[@fionakissock1871]

We have just had a visit from an Eurasian Jay in our garden. We were surprised as we have never seen one appear before in our garden. Are they common in West Norfolk? Such a beautiful bird.

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Hi Fiona. Great job on spotting one in your garden today. Their numbers seem to be increasing across Norfolk, I see them daily in norwich. They are quite habitual so if you keep a close eye on your garden at around the same time tomorrow you might see it again. Cheers.

[@fionakissock1871]

@@AShotOfWildlife That’s brilliant news, thank you for getting back to me. I really appreciate that. I shall be looking out for the Jay tomorrow. He seemed to be quite partial to the fat balls.

[@AShotOfWildlife]

@@fionakissock1871 oh, if you have food out then it's even more likely to come back. Fingers crossed 🤞

[@fionakissock1871]

@@AShotOfWildlife We put food out for the birds all year round. We think it’s important to keep them fed. But we especially put out more in the winter. In the summer the birds eat all the cherries. I do hope the Jay comes back tomorrow thank you I shall keep my fingers crossed 🤞

[@keithedmunds7536]

exellent video thanks for sharing

[@SmallerLives]

I just found your channel and this sort of content is what the internet should be all about! You are fantastic, and I've loved every video so far. Looking at a Jay (although this applies to virtually every bird and animal) it is beyond me how evolution can 'just so happened' to have made them so spectacularly beautiful.

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Thank you so much and welcome to the channel! I hope you have found lots of videos that you enjoy here.

[@markbarker6739]

I was feeding squirrals and a jay appeared beautful to see

[@tswizzle4eva578]

I first saw a glimpse of a jay during lockdown, and have never seen one properly. But yesterday I was in Kew Gardens and saw one super close up out in the open on a branch, and it was so exciting to see!

[@madeleinel6089]

Saw my first Jay, along with my first Green Woodpecker on Wimbledon Common, both beautiful birds❣️

[@markymark3075]

Thanks!

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Cheers

[@chadgun4135]

Great information 👍

[@angr3819]

Thank you. Very beautiful birds.

[@meanwhilemothernature7341]

Fabulous looking birds!

[@Fred-rj3er]

Loving your vids mate. Keep on keeping on. More bird calls perhaps? There is one very distinctive call that I heard for a couple of weeks just over a month ago and I would love to know what it was. Sort of a whistle starting low and rising in pitch. Stop then repeat. Yeah, I know. That's useless lol. Anyway keep on with the vids.

[@jaydee2982]

Hi mate great vid as always, think there is a slight mistake at the end when you say years instead of days

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Cheers mate. Well spotted. Because I wrote the scripts sometimes I stumble and that must've been the case this time and I didn't notice.

[@berthendrikx]

Mooie video van deze mooie vogel. Minpunt is, dat hij in onze tuinen samen met de ekster bijna alle eieren en jonge vogels op eet. Best regards Bert.

[@saturahman7510]

I live in Mikkeli, eastern-Finland. I feed birds on the balcony. Now one jay-bird comes to eat every day !

[@auroraborealis2442]

Great video, thank you.

[@morticiaaddams9777]

Lovely video! Jays always seem to be around when I'm out in the woods, I love them!

[@FrederickBowdler]

If you ever get chance and find a dead one ....get a few of the blue feathers they are so mesmerising l

[@hankschrader2906]

Nice video i love eurasian jays

[@34outdoor]

Greetings from The Netherlands! Really like your bitesize videos Liam!

[@dexocube]

Saw one the other day, flew right past me.

[@lisajames3359]

Jays are beautiful… I discovered one very recently that I think was fledgling that had sadly died. Such a pretty bird.

[@CamillaI]

Love Jays some amazing facts as ever on a Shot of Wildlife ! 👍😍

[@JamesLeekiwiglider]

Superb. Thank you.

[@mrvera1970]

I have 2 that visit md every winter wanting peanuts and monkeys they are super quick at nipping in and grabbing a monkey nut

[@SkylarkFields]

Fascinating facts, thank you! They certainly give themselves away with that harsh call of theirs, although if I hear one I don't always get to see it!

[@victoriahouse9969]

Another thing you may not know is, (ive seen) a group of males displaying to the females and while calling to them. The white feathers on their heads raise up like the ones on Waxwings. I saw them do this 6 years ago today. In a park. I was looking for Waxwings. But ended up with Jay's instead.

[@mirahsamiyahrajwan7903]

They are so beautiful. I see one of them , here in Israel, in a wood, and in town and one and, here and there, and two of them, here close to my block of flats. They always hide between leavs and on top of trees. I am always glad to see them.

[@GrimJRS]

I was hiking at night in scotland and i heard one, sounded like a demon :)

[@shanestewart4905]

In my experience all Jays cache acorns, they seem to concentrate solely on this food source in the autumn.

[@mariab2908]

Just saw one in my garden. In East Bristol. It was hiding food in the soil.

[@toxicholygrenadethg9906]

I could be wrong, but while they would be seen across the UK, within Northern Ireland where I live, there doesn't seem to be that many, and I can say the same for Common Ravens. I saw one Raven last week in Peatlands, and that's just the first time I've saw one in person. But how come there aren't that many about Liam?

[@barrowwraith1687]

Always a joy to see these birds, the most I have seen together in one place was 6 early one morning at our garden pond. They are noted as being timid, but have to ask do others feel that they are becoming bolder as I have recently seen one in a local town, chattering at the traffic from its perch in a tree at the roadside.

[@AShotOfWildlife]

I have to agree, I think they're becoming more urbanised and bolder around people.

[@barrowwraith1687]

@@AShotOfWildlife As a follow up the ones I have seen recently are very colourful could these be protective males?

[@christinecurran1210]

I'm 54yrs old. I'd never seen a Jay until I was in my late 30's when I was walking through the cemetery with a friend one morning. I remember thinking what is that?! And how lovely it was. I got home and looked it up in a little bird book I had. Never saw any again until in the past 5yrs , I'll get glimpses of one flying through the trees in my local park, because I now know what to look out for. But this year, now in February, there is one that is visiting my neighbours garden backing on to mine. She has always puts lots of seed out for the birds. We've always had a squirrel, sometimes two, so I wonder if it's looking for the acorns they bury 🤷 I've learned from this video that they are of the crow family and also amazingly that they can mimick!....a cat! 😂. I have a cat so I don't encourage the birds into my garden with food as he does hunt them sadly. He seems to go for pigeons though (not wood pigeons). Sorry long answer 🤦😅...I could of just said yes they must be very shy and yes they must be getting bolder!

[@geoanggfr]

If I may say..I think jays are becoming more common around people..around the 1950s/ 60 period magpies were local and uncommon near built up areas…as we all know they have adapted to being very common throughout central Scotland….I do believe the same phenomenon is now beginning to happen with jays…

[@TheNatureNurturer668]

Ive watched every video on your channel and i have learnt so much so thank you, if you could would u do a video on the swallow please i seen one today but they are very fast i managed to get a photo not a very good one i would love to learn more about them, many thanks love your channel keep up the great work

[@NaturallyCuriousUK]

Handsome birds! They're one of two species I most commonly get asked about by "muggles". The other being the Pied Wagtail. Keep 'em coming Liam. All good stuff mate 👍🙂👍

[@empireempire3545]

I wish someone could record the Jay's beautiful mating song!

[@XtraOrdinar-y]

Great video

[@Tom-zq7lu]

Ok, VERY VERY BEST ok thank 🤗👍🌟🌟👈

[@jamescox8762]

love you Liam

[@charlieshaw1500]

OK. Ow I'm going to grab my binoculars are go looking for Jay's, I'm not sure I've seen a wild one but I'm pretty sure they have Jay's at Bird World.

[@angeldollheart]

never seen a jay in person but i would love to spot one someday!

[@adrianjones8347]

Nice

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Thanks

[@hannehansen7214]

Great video - again. Thanks. I have a wish. Could you please include the latin name somewhere in the description in your videos? I google after watching your videos, to find out if they live here in Denmark, but im not certain that the danish skovskade / Garrulus glandarius are the same? And google translate is no help. Ive had this problem before, when watching wildlife videos. Thanks again for making really great videos. Much appreciated.

[@AShotOfWildlife]

I certainly can try to do that for you. I the species in this video is garrulus glandarius and I think they are in Denmark. You may notice slight differences in appearance though as I would expect the subspecies there is different to the one found in the UK.

[@hannehansen7214]

@@AShotOfWildlife Thanks a lot! So it is the same, or almost. I thought the eggs looked slightly different. Looking forward to more videos.

[@AShotOfWildlife]

@@hannehansen7214 yes, it's pretty much the same. I don't know I'd the eggs vary between subspecies but that is entirely possible. I will look it up. Many thanks

[@JamalELHARIRY]

we found a nearly adult Jay in our garden what is the best to do for it as he cannot really fly well and we have plenty of wildlife in our garden like foxes please advise

[@blxtothis]

The pair that visit our garden quickly worked out how to steal mealworms from the covered Robin Feeder, now the other large birds give it a go, not always very successfully, though the Starlings cottoned on quickly that they could cling to the bowl and get their necks under the dome.

[@AShotOfWildlife]

That's brilliant. They are super smart!

[@alisonstephens8691]

Got a video off one been in my garden for two day

[@user-hf6vy8xc4i]

It would be awesome to see a goldfinch version

[@tom13king]

I once heard an awful, loud scraping sound in my neighbourhood and didn’t know what it was. I thought it might have been a dying magpie or something. Months later I found out it was a jay.

[@ethernat]

You said 16 years and 19 years in the same sentence - live the videos though well done

[@AlexCMoro81]

❤❤❤

[@RinkelJeroen]

How is it possible some individual birds get so extremely old, compared to average? I read something similar about kingfishers. Is this common with birds? Do most birds die of other causes than a natural old age?

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Yes, unfortunately the cause of most bird deaths are not old age- Predation, starvation, accidents etc. Its the same with every species I have done a fact file about, the average age is far less than the potential lifespan and its not just true for birds, fish and mammals have the same pattern.

[@473gamey]

We have blue jays in the US

[@raphlvlogs271]

corvids can develop complex languages due to their ability to mimic various sounds

[@MrMangoman48]

We have lots of this birds in South Europe countries

[@hankschrader2906]

I live in Italy i see those birds every time

[@davidbate3453]

We have plenty of jays in sutherland

[@tinaosborne6837]

My favourite British bird, bloody elusive tho

[@AShotOfWildlife]

They seem to be becoming more common so you might be lucky enough to see them more frequently soon

[@jayleigh4642]

Ummmm yeah it’s true you always hear Jay’s before you see them 😂😂😂😂 I couldn’t resist 😂😂😂

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Hahaha, are you also good at mimicking cats?

[@jayleigh4642]

@@AShotOfWildlife can you not hear me puuuuuurring 😂😂😂

[@mohamedabdelkader8665]

Qwesome.

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Thanks

Does that life expectancy take into account all the chicks and juveniles that die before reaching maturity?

[@paulohara1502]

👍👍👍👌

[@davidlloyd3116]

Will Jays ever eat carrion?

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Yes, they'll definitely beat carrion. I wish I had included that in the list fir their diet.

[@davidlloyd3116]

@@AShotOfWildlife I kind of thought so as they are Corvids. Can you do a piece on the Red Kite, and the Little Egret please? We have them here in Buckinghamshire

[@AShotOfWildlife]

@@davidlloyd3116 sure, both are on my list for future videos. I just need to get some more footage together and get to work. Cheers

[@davidlloyd3116]

@@AShotOfWildlife Oh that would be wonderful. I have lots of photos of slow worms if you want an article on that. There's loads in my back garden!

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Hi David, Thanks for your kind offer of slow worm images. Do you mean videos or photographs? I have just uploaded a red kite video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nne6eXeGfJt-nbs Enjoy!

[@joetodd7944]

I heard one make a noise like a car alarm

[@zetectic7968]

Surely they have to live to 3 at least if they don't start breeding until 2, otherwise they would only ever have 1 brood?

[@AShotOfWildlife]

It's an average, so say 25% die at 1, then 25% could also die at 3 although it is of course more varied than that. I expect a lot of them die young so those that survive go for 4, 5 or 6 years.