Blue Jay
Blue Jays always seem like old friends to me. I have seen a great many of them under all conditions of life. I The Blue Jay usually nests in pine trees. have watched them through field glasses; I have looked at them over the sights of a gun; I have watched them on the ground glass of a camera; and I have kept them and watched them in captivity.
One morning, about the middle of May, two men might have been seen going along a certain pine-covered hillside. Their actions were peculiar for they stopped and looked sharply into each tree as they passed. It was very promising ground for Blue Jay nests and, to tell the truth, that is just what these men were looking for.
A bird slipped quietly out of the far side of one of the pines, but the sharp eyes of my companion caught sight of the flash of blue and he exclaimed, "Here it is!" About six feet from the ground was quite a large nest built of black twigs and rootlets, and in it were five, greenish-gray eggs covered with darker spots. Not a sound came from the bird that had so silently disappeared. Jays are not birds to needlessly advertise their homes when there is the possibility that they may escape notice.
Two days later the eggs had hatched and by Memorial Day the little Jays were ready to leave their nest. After having posed for their pictures they were released, except one that went home with us where he stayed for the three following years. A few of this bird's deeds and misdeeds Fig. 75. Young Jays in Nest. may serve to interest and give an insight into the true nature of all jays.
