When I read the first half of this article, I was thinking to myself, “I can’t wait to mention Scrub Jays to Jo.” Then, of course, you’d already written about them! From living in The South, I knew all about Blue Jays, but never met a Scrub Jay until I became an Angeleno. The California Scrub-Jay is such a unique and beautiful bird! They’re clever and funny, and I feel as though I have a unique relationship with the ones that live in my yard and nearby. They prefer peanuts (I discovered this by accident because I also buy squirrel food), they love my flat, elevated feeders, they recognize me when I’m out in the yard and won’t fly away, and wait patiently for me to fill the feeders (although many birds do, truthfully). On the discussion of all corvids, they are repeatedly mentioned in murder mysteries, so I’m going to restack this right now!
I remember my first trip to California and my delight at seeing (and hearing!) a scrub jay. My brother, who lives there, was baffled as to why I wanted to stop and watch them 😆 I’m sure that your birds do recognise you and it is such a wonderful thing to have such relationships with wild animals - I always think it is the utmost privilege to not just let wildlife into our world, but to become part of another creature’s world too 💚
Wonderful article, I learned so much here. My neighborhood has a lot of American Crows and California Scrub Jays, including one Jay who loves stashing food in a planter on my porch. He’s like a pirate.
Thank you Heidi, so pleased that you enjoyed it 😊 And you get to see the scrub jays in action too - I like the idea of one being like a pirate! They’re really such a remarkable family of birds, and there’s still so much to learn (and write!) about them.
Thank you, Jo! It’s so impressive that you have studied them so extensively. The Corvids are so smart. I wish I had their level of intelligence. Plus, they can fly.
Loved this so much, crows are my favourite bird of all. Theres a nature park not far from me that used to be home to a talking raven, he'd say "ello Terry" and "arse".
This is fantastic; I love birds and consider bird brain to be a high compliment. I have always been fascinated with Corvids, mythological birds.
And speaking of fables, I was speaking to my teenage son yesterday about rewriting two children's stories: Little Red Riding Hood and Goldilocks. In my version, Goldilocks is charged with criminal tresspassing and destruction of private property
Thanks so much, Perry - delighted that you enjoyed it. I completely agree about the term 'bird brain' - the more we learn about both bird intelligence and the structural complexity of bird brains the less valid it is to use it in a derogatory way!
Yes, Little Red Riding Hood and Goldilocks could both benefit from a rewrite. In Aesop's Animals, I argue that there's no evidence for any form of deceptive ability in wolves, whereas chimpanzees are far more prone to such tendencies. Ravens too!
There has been interesting work the last couple years categorizing sperm whale and prairie dog vocalizations (to name some interesting ones). Has there been similar work with crows? I think it would be fascinating to find out how much of a language they have.
When I read the first half of this article, I was thinking to myself, “I can’t wait to mention Scrub Jays to Jo.” Then, of course, you’d already written about them! From living in The South, I knew all about Blue Jays, but never met a Scrub Jay until I became an Angeleno. The California Scrub-Jay is such a unique and beautiful bird! They’re clever and funny, and I feel as though I have a unique relationship with the ones that live in my yard and nearby. They prefer peanuts (I discovered this by accident because I also buy squirrel food), they love my flat, elevated feeders, they recognize me when I’m out in the yard and won’t fly away, and wait patiently for me to fill the feeders (although many birds do, truthfully). On the discussion of all corvids, they are repeatedly mentioned in murder mysteries, so I’m going to restack this right now!
I remember my first trip to California and my delight at seeing (and hearing!) a scrub jay. My brother, who lives there, was baffled as to why I wanted to stop and watch them 😆 I’m sure that your birds do recognise you and it is such a wonderful thing to have such relationships with wild animals - I always think it is the utmost privilege to not just let wildlife into our world, but to become part of another creature’s world too 💚
Really enjoyed this, Thanks for posting. I love it when people know what they are talking about. ;)
Thank you Robert, glad that you enjoyed it! Such a fantastic group of animals, as you know 🙂
Wonderful article, I learned so much here. My neighborhood has a lot of American Crows and California Scrub Jays, including one Jay who loves stashing food in a planter on my porch. He’s like a pirate.
Thank you Heidi, so pleased that you enjoyed it 😊 And you get to see the scrub jays in action too - I like the idea of one being like a pirate! They’re really such a remarkable family of birds, and there’s still so much to learn (and write!) about them.
Thank you, Jo! It’s so impressive that you have studied them so extensively. The Corvids are so smart. I wish I had their level of intelligence. Plus, they can fly.
Loved this so much, crows are my favourite bird of all. Theres a nature park not far from me that used to be home to a talking raven, he'd say "ello Terry" and "arse".
Hehe that’s fantastic - did he have an accent too? I’d love to see more footage of potty-mouthed corvids 😆 Glad you liked the post!
This is fantastic; I love birds and consider bird brain to be a high compliment. I have always been fascinated with Corvids, mythological birds.
And speaking of fables, I was speaking to my teenage son yesterday about rewriting two children's stories: Little Red Riding Hood and Goldilocks. In my version, Goldilocks is charged with criminal tresspassing and destruction of private property
Thanks so much, Perry - delighted that you enjoyed it. I completely agree about the term 'bird brain' - the more we learn about both bird intelligence and the structural complexity of bird brains the less valid it is to use it in a derogatory way!
Yes, Little Red Riding Hood and Goldilocks could both benefit from a rewrite. In Aesop's Animals, I argue that there's no evidence for any form of deceptive ability in wolves, whereas chimpanzees are far more prone to such tendencies. Ravens too!
There has been interesting work the last couple years categorizing sperm whale and prairie dog vocalizations (to name some interesting ones). Has there been similar work with crows? I think it would be fascinating to find out how much of a language they have.
Also, were you into Northern Exposure? I loved that ravens were such a big part of their Christmas celebrations
I actually had never heard of it but now I’m going to look it up!