Screecher Feature

[AlanLichty]

We had a pair of scrub jays that set up a nest in an arborvitae this spring and have been treated to their serenading screeches for quite a few weeks now. Far too much cover for me to get a view of the nest and the birds are not easy to get shots of since they are constantly on the move although I have had a couple of occasions with camera in hand to squeeze off some shots. They had a single offspring that was less than melodious (volume knob turned up to 11) as it called for the parents to feed it and one day while I was in the yard I was able to determine which arborvitae the nest was in. As I wandered over that direction one of the parent jays flew up and let out a screech. The kid shut up immediately so there must be some levels of communication within the screeching from the parent.

My first chance to get some shots came about a week later when the parents were showing their offspring how to forage. The adults would act as sentries up on top of the nearby vegetation to watch out for trouble:

The other adult was up in a cedar tree coaching the kid but I couldn't really get a shot of it. This is the youngster lurking on a fence:

About 3 feet away was the prize which is one of our blueberry bushes. I grabbed a shot of the meal last week and posted that with the thread title The Thief.

Sadly the kids skill level at poaching ripe berries has improved enough that the bird can now swoop down and pluck off a berry while still in flight so photo ops have plummeted.

C&C always welcome.

 

[JimFox]

That's so interesting Alan!

I am enjoying you document their movements and your observations. Great photos to go along with.

 

[AlanLichty]

That's so interesting Alan!

I am enjoying you document their movements and your observations. Great photos to go along with.

Thanks - I just wish they weren't so good at making themselves hard to see with all of the tree cover we have around. If it weren't for the kid they almost never stick around for photos and now that their offspring is fully mobile I hardly see them anymore. I can hear them almost constantly along with the neighborhood crows but good luck getting some captures of them.

 

[MonikaC]

Great title. They do screech, don't they? I like the last one, hidden amongst the berries & leaves.

 

[AlanLichty]

Great title. They do screech, don't they? I like the last one, hidden amongst the berries & leaves.

Thanks Monika - they aren't subtle or stealthy that's for sure. The kid in the nest was actually louder than its parents when it was hungry (all the time).

These guys are still noise level slackers compared to a baby crow. They hound their parents for food for almost a month after they can fly. They make human babies sound quiet. Worse yet once they can fly they are making their unmet needs known from the tops of tall trees.

 

[MonikaC]

Thanks Monika - they aren't subtle or stealthy that's for sure. The kid in the nest was actually louder than its parents when it was hungry (all the time).

These guys are still noise level slackers compared to a baby crow. They hound their parents for food for almost a month after they can fly. They make human babies sound quiet. Worse yet once they can fly they are making their unmet needs known from the tops of tall trees.

 

[Jameel Hyder]

That last image exemplifies 'an image worth 1000 words' quite well.

 

[KevinA]

Great series and narrative Alan

 

[AlanLichty]

That last image exemplifies 'an image worth 1000 words' quite well.

Thanks Jameel - I didn't realize I had caught the open mouth over the berry until I was looking at the captures on my computer screen.

 

[AlanLichty]

Great series and narrative Alan

Thanks Kevin!

 

[Jon Bev]

I never realized you were into birds Alan, I like the pictures of your feathered friends.

 

[AlanLichty]

I never realized you were into birds Alan, I like the pictures of your feathered friends.

Thanks Jon - I am not patient enough to be a Real Birder(TM) but when I get a chance to raise my lens and grab some quick shots like these I'll go for it. This family of jays is fairly used to me being in the yard and I had my DSLR with me to shoot some blooms so they were easy targets.