Scrub Jay! That Bold Little BOOGER!!!

[RamonaGS]

I was outside watering my tomatoes, and as I was standing no more than 10 feet away from it, a scrub jay flew over to my loquat tree, and started pecking at a ripe loquat. He stops for a second and looks at me as if he was saying, "Oh don't stop what you're doing. I can help myself." Then resumed pecking at the fruit. I watched him for a moment or two, and then said, " Seriously?! You're not even going to wait until I go back in the house anymore?!?" Normally I do see them nipping at the loquats, but from inside my livingroom and through the window. So the little booger looks at me again, as if to say this time, "Well EXCUSE ME!!!" and then grabs the whole loquat, pulls it off and flies off with it. You're welcome you feathered freeloader!!

[cynthia_h]

Maybe I'm an Evil Gardener with a Bad Attitude, but... When I lived in Atlanta, my then-BF and I rescued a cat from the November sleet storms. She turned into They (a litter of five kittens). Since we had already been living with one cat, we now had seven cats.

When the kittens were old enough to start investigating the outdoors (it was pretty safe for them--we thought), I was watching a couple of them frolicking in the kudzu one day after work after classes. This...this Obnoxious Blue Jay dive-bombed the kitties! I ran out to the back and absolutely SCREAMED at that bird! "Get out of here! Leave them alone!" and other similar phrases. I picked up the kittens and brought them back inside. One of them had scratches on its head, and they weren't from its littermate, believe me.

Ever since then, I won't put out food that blue jays, Stellar's jays, or any of their ilk prefer. If other birds like something, I'll put it out (usually when I'm working at a school or office where there aren't any cats; I like to encourage cats in my yard because of the squirrels and potential mice/rats). I'm a pretty fast learner; it took only one time for me to figure out about blue jays.

If I'd been watering plants at the time, I probably would've used the hose on that dratted bird. [hint... ]

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[RamonaGS]

I can understand your feelings. Jays can be very annoying sometimes, and I would've run out there and chased those damn birds for attacking baby kitties too... so you're not alone in that insanity

I have personal distaste for mud swallows. They dive bombed my brother and I when we were kids, and they almost took out his eye! Those birds I don't tolerate, and I do turn a hose on those darn things!

[PunkRotten]

I have been noticing this bird that looks and acts like a Blue Jay lately in my backyard. Except this one is gray and has a white line across its body. I see it dive bomb and can't see what it is trying to catch. I seen it in my compost as well. Since I have not noticed any fruit damage to my veggies or fruits I am thinking it is attacking insects. Wish I could get a pic for ID but the bird is fast.

[RamonaGS]

Does it look anything like this one? This is a scrub jay, and they do eat bugs too. I've seen them eat bees before.

https://thewildlife2.blogspot.com/2011/0 ... serve.html

[gumbo2176]

I once had a loquat tree, but lost it to the flood following Hurricane Katrina in 05. Before then, my tree was about 15 ft. tall and there was another couple of loquat trees a few houses over that were at least 25 or more feet tall and the largest of that variety I've ever seen. Every morning and afternoon when the trees were in bloom, we'd get a flock of at least 20 parrots that would come into the area and pick the fruit off them with a vengeance. They would fly in squawking and make such a noise as they ate the fruit off the trees. There was no mistaking when they are in your neighborhood.

My tree fared better than the other 2 since it was near my 2nd story back porch and the wife and I would go out to watch the birds feed. They stayed mostly in the neighboring trees since the people that lived in that house didn't care one iota about the trees or the fruit they produced.

I still see the parrots from time to time in the date palms that are planted on many of our neutral grounds (medians for you foreigners). They will still come into the neighborhood and will sometimes hit my fig tree if I fail to get the fruit just prior to ripening on the tree.

[RamonaGS]

Is New Orleans a natural habitat for the parrots, or were they accidentally released and they adapted? Here on the central coast, we have ended up with wild zebras because of the private zoo that William Randolph Hearst had at Hearst Castle. Apparently, they have adapted pretty well here, and don't impact our eco system. There is another animal that got out and procreated from the castle too here, but can't remember which one it was. The zebras stick in my brain because I've seen them out in the fields grazing with cows, LOL My dad told me there are a population of chimpanzees in the everglades too, from back when the old series Tarzan was being filmed there. A group of chimps got out and became established. I'm just curious, about that stuff

[gumbo2176]

They were birds that escaped for one reason or another over the years and bred into a nice flock that have adapted well to this climate. Even though the loquat trees are now long gone after the flood killed them, I still hear the parrots from time to time outside my front door resting on the power lines and they will be around when the figs start ripening in a couple weeks time.

Now, if you want to talk about birds I've come to hate, let's talk pigeons. This city is lousy with them and most look at them like they would vermin. They are referred to as "Winged Rats" here.

One of my neighbors is a bird lover and insists on stocking feeding stations in a couple places in her yard. She is feeding mostly pigeons by the looks of it and any car parked beneath the power lines needs washing daily from all the pigeon poop they drop. Lately she's ceased the feeding since her husband has a lot of building material in their driveway, along with their young daughters playthings and they are forced to park on the street--------------their cars thus becoming a target for the pigeons. Amazing how that works out sometimes.

[RamonaGS]

Pigeons are quite gross birds. We have some around here, but the big ugly poopers around here are seagulls. Uh! They are so disgusting! They junk on everything and everyone!

Isn't it funny that she didn't mind feeding them when it was everyone else's cars being pooped on, but oh no! Not HER car! What a neighbor...

[gumbo2176]

Pigeons are quite gross birds. We have some around here, but the big ugly poopers around here are seagulls. Uh! They are so disgusting! They junk on everything and everyone!

Isn't it funny that she didn't mind feeding them when it was everyone else's cars being pooped on, but oh no! Not HER car! What a neighbor...

I've experienced seagulls and they are truly foul birds----pun intended. I've been crapped on by them many times while at the beaches of the Gulf Coast. They are the coastal equivalent of city pigeons for scavenging and I've had them take things right off the plate while picnicking at the shore.

As for the neighbor, she's a peach all right. She's also a rescue person for abandoned pets and has a pretty continual turnover in dogs that have been abandoned. They bark until they get use to the place, then get adopted by someone, only to be replaced by another dog or two that start the whole thing all over again. Guess I"m lucky like that when it comes to neighbors. She's got one right now that looks like a Great Dane mix that has a bark that sounds like a teenage boy who's voice is changing. His bark starts off shrill then gets deeper near the end. He's been outside barking since 6 a.m. and it's only 7:15 now.

[RamonaGS]

I love animals myself, but I think a mess of dogs barking constantly would bug the heck out of me too! My mom and I currently have an unofficial cat rescue. Basically, when dimwits abandon cats in the fields behind my mom's house, the city pound doesn't pick them up, they wind up and my mom's house, and we feed them, fix them, and then find them homes. But I would not want to run a dog rescue unless it's out in the middle of nowhere, LOL

[Francis Barnswallow]

Recently I had one of those Jays fall into my garden while I was picking tomatoes. I thought, you have to be kidding me. Then I looked up and saw two hawks diving down from above to where the jay landed. I'm a 30 year old guy and when I saw those hawks diving my way I screamed like a girl and immediately ran away from the garden and then back into the house.

[cynthia_h]

Dear Mr. Barnswallow:

We're sorry we scared you the other day when we had the jay for lunch. It was an OK meal, but a little tough, you know? We hope you're happy with the rodent services we've been providing and trust that you've met with very little damage from mice or rats this year.

Friends?

Yours truly,

The Hawks

[Francis Barnswallow]

Dear Hawks,

Keep up the good work. Just add squirrels to your menu and I'll be your best friend.

[RamonaGS]

Dear Mr Barnswallow,

If we have to get squirrels too, we will have to negotiate for house privileges. We want to store our spare Blue Jays and rodents in the fridge, and we want HBO. Got to keep up with Game of Thrones!

The Hawks

[Francis Barnswallow]

[RamonaGS]

Can I just put this in the fridge for later?

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