Hello and Happy Monday to all. It's hard to believe how fast the weekend goes, partially because the weekend is always so busy. This past weekend I got out with my camera for a bit on Saturday, but then was busy with family stuff Saturday evening and most of the day Sunday. Due to how busy I was and how tired I was last night, I didn't get a chance to post anything.

As each day passes we get closer to camping season and me getting closer to nature and wildlife. One of the things I love about camping season is the variety of birds that visit my feeders right there at the campsite. I really do get a stunning display of the most colorful birds. One of my favorites is the blue jays. They not only love the seed I put in the feeders, but they will also fly into the trees around my site and wait for me to toss a peanut out for them. Naturally, they are battling the chipmunks so sometimes a chippy will run in and snatch it before a blue jay has the opportunity to swoop down. It's so fun to watch, especially when the blue jay swoops down as a chippy is running in. They will then hop around and let the chipmunk get the peanut. Which is completely different than at the feeder because they can often be a little aggressive towards other birds. But, when it comes to a chippy, they will back down.

Blue Jays can be found in the eastern and central parts of the United States, Canada, and Newfoundland. They live and breed in forests or residential areas and are a common bird to be found in the backyard at any bird feeder. They enjoy eating seeds, peanuts, fruit, grains, insects, berries, and corn. Blue Jays are generally bonded pairs that mate for life, with mating season beginning in mid March and extending into July. On average they have 4-5 eggs with an incubation period of 16-18 days and the young fledge roughly 17-21 days after hatching.

Although many people don't like blue jays because they are often a bit more aggressive towards the other feeder birds, I still like them. I just make sure they have plenty of food to try and avoid that behavior. Providing peanuts and fruit for them away from the feeders helps a lot.

Here is one of my camp blue jay's with a peanut!

Blue Jay