I spotted this Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) high in the trees in my neighborhood on a day when my travels were grounded by the snow and the ice. Normally you know when there is a blue jay is in the area because their calls are really loud, but this one was surprisingly silent.
I was fascinated to read on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website that, “The Blue Jay frequently mimics the calls of hawks, especially the Red-shouldered Hawk. These calls may provide information to other jays that a hawk is around, or may be used to deceive other species into believing a hawk is present.” I think that my neighborhood blue jays have deceived me on multiple occasions when I searched in vain for a hawk upon hearing one of its distinctive calls.
If you look closely at the feet of this bird you may notice that they are not in contact with any of the branches. There also does not appear to be any wing movement, so perhaps the blue jay was practicing its levitation skills. While that is certainly possible, I believe that the blue jay may simply have been hopping to another spot on the branch and did not want to bother with flapping its wings.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Nice Mike! Never saw a Blue Jay that could Levitate before! Great image!
🙂 It’s all in the power of the mind. I don’t see blue jays very often at my wildlife refuge, so I decided to taking advantage of seeing this one in my neighborhood.
Amazing! They are usually screaming around here!
That sure is there normal behavior–a silent blue jay is definitely an exception. 🙂
I did not know that about the mimicry until last summer when I actually saw it in our back yard. The Blue Jay opened his beak and RSH came out! I, too, had to rethink some of what I thought were hawk fly-bys.
Great capture of the hop.
Thanks, Ellen. I have heard that call and seen the jay in the vicinity and suspected he was doing it, but have never caught one in the act. 🙂
I feel as if I ‘talk’ too much on your blog, Mike. But, your posts bring to mind so much of my birding joys. I have always know blue jays as ‘ the self-appointed centuries of the woods!’ I love them!
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I like the idea of blue jays as sentries, warning all others of our presence. I am by nature very curious and energetic and I try to reflect that in my writing. I really like it when readers respond, even if it is a complaint or disagreement. Don’t worry about talking too much–I definitely encourage it. 🙂
LOL!!
It is always fun and encouraging to hear back from folks, isn’t it?
It definitely is great to get responses. I sympathize with teachers who struggle to get kids to participate actively in their classes. I personally find that energy and enthusiasm are contagious and that is how I approach many aspects of my life–it is better for me to pursue passion than to sit on the sidelines because I can’t achieve perfection.
I knew that blue jays had a wider vocabulary than many would think, but I hadn’t heard that they can imitate the hawk. When we’re back at the cabin I’ll be listening for this carefully. Love your mid-hop shot!
Thanks, Gary. I really enjoy doing a little research even when I can identify a subject. There are always new and fascinating things to discover.
Awesome photo! I love when the blue jays come to my yard. They are so beautiful and fun to watch.🙂
I live in a little townhouse without much of a yard, so I don’t get many bird visitors, but it is great to walk around and watch them (and blue jays are definitely not shy about letting us know when they are around). 🙂
Magic!