Summer Chronicles

When I look back over the summer, I joyfully remember the flowers and butterflies and hummingbirds. But I most fondly recall the Blue Jays.

My granddaughter loves these beautiful birds, but to be honest, I’ve always considered them brash and bossy. They swoop in at the feeders, and the smaller birds readily give way to these noisy fellows. This summer, though, the Blue Jays slipped in quietly, and I gained a new appreciation for their tender side.   Here’s how it happened:

One day at the end of May, I walked out onto our screened-in porch. I happened to look up and glance through the window, and to my surprise I was face to face with mother Blue Jay, sitting serenely in her sturdily built nest in the evergreen bush on the other side of the screen.

She didn’t say a word. She just calmly looked at me, as if to say, “Please don’t let anyone else know I am here.”

And so our friendship began.  Every day I would peer through the porch window. I would tell her how pretty she looked, and she would graciously accept my compliments.

Day after day she sat patiently on her three eggs until they hatched. Once her babies emerged, she tenderly gazed on them with satisfaction and delight. If you look closely, you can see two of the babies.

What an attentive mother she was! On stormy days, she sat there with her head up, rain running down her neck onto her back.  She spread her wings over her chicks, making a roof to keep them dry.

Papa Blue Jay helped with feeding the ever-hungry babies.

They grew so fast!

The one on the left was the firstborn with the biggest, boldest personality! The one in the middle was the runt. I worried about this little one. He seemed to have less energy than the others.

But just about two weeks after these adorable beauties hatched, all three of them successfully fledged. They’ve continued to delight me with their visits to our bird feeders and bird bath.

Now when I see them swoop in for food or loudly call out in the trees, I realize the Blue Jays aren’t just making noise; they’re communicating. Sometimes they tell family members and other birds that I’ve just put out food. Other times they announce the presence of a predator.

I used to think they were bossy, but now I agree with my granddaughter. They’re one of my favorite birds too!

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