Raucous Jays

At our work morning last Sunday, there was not a lot of birdsong to be heard.  There was a Dunnock chattering and a friendly Robin, who came looking for any insects or spiders we had disturbed while clearing vegetation.

But one very loud call was heard repeatedly.  We didn't see any Jays, because they are very shy and wary birds, quite unlike robins.  But the call is unmistakeable.

I'm not quite sure if this picture is of a juvenile but you can hear the call quite clearly on this video.

(Louise Bailey has kindly pointed out that this photo is of an American Blue Jay, but later pics on the video are of the European Jay)

Jays are very busy at this time of year collecting acorns and stashing them for a snack later in winter.  This makes them one of the prime planters of oak woodlands.  Acorns will not grow unless they touch the actual soil so Jays do the job.

I wrote another post about Jays on 13th September last year.  check it on the archive on the right side of the blog page.