Jay Walking

These pictures are from a couple weeks ago, but I wanted to share a fun little nature fact with you.

Did you know that Jays, just like squirrels, stash food for the winter? They will create little caches of nuts and seeds to help get them through the lean months.

It’s very unusual to see the Jays eating the peanuts at my feeder. They almost always fly off with them, presumably to some hidden location.

Except for this guy…

I watched him fly down to the lawn by the woodland garden with a peanut in his mouth.

He then hopped over to the edge of the garden…

And he tucked that peanut under a pile of leaves.

It’s the only one he did it with, so I’m guessing he’s got another, better hidden stash. That or he’s really just new to this.

Because I’m afraid that stashed peanut didn’t stay hidden long…

In this game, you’ve got to be sneaky… because someone is always watching from on high.

8 thoughts on “Jay Walking

  1. velane4's avatar velane4

    Ha! Our jays eat the peanuts right away and also stash some (somewhere – they fly away with them in their mouth). And the deer! Man, they chow down on the peanuts so fast!!

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  2. Oh, no….all that work for nothing. I’ve been putting out some kitty kibble for the little birds on the deck but they don’t like it. They prefer the wet food leftovers I put out for the vultures. I had no idea.

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  3. jatshaw's avatar jatshaw

    We only see Steller’s jays here, and they will snatch up peanuts and swallow them whole! Sometimes the squirrels beat them to it though and hide them somewhere.

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