I've had an interest in birds throughout my life, having kept a few different species (zebra finches, parakeets, cockatiels, and a ring-necked dove) as pets at one time or another since I was a child. Other than my pets, though, I never set up bird feeders in the yard or ventured out to actually find and watch birds. That all changed in 2005 with my portal species, the blue jay.
In June of that year, I noticed a pair of blue jays nesting in the fork of an oak tree in my backyard. It wasn't their calls that attracted my attention, but rather their vibrant blue plumage and furtive behavior. I watched them as they came and went from the nest. Upon returning to the nest, a jay would never fly directly to it. Instead, the bird would land on or near the oak tree, stopping to look around before quietly hopping from branch to branch until it finally reached the nest. Watching the blue jay travel enabled me to observe the beauty of its plumage. From its striking blue crest and black necklace to its flight feathers of white and multihued blues trimmed in black, the blue jay truly is attractive.
My observation led me to want to learn more. I read of their intelligence and their remarkable memories. Each autumn, blue jays gather and cache large numbers of nuts, such as acorns, burying them for use during the winter.
Watching these jays led to my feeding them by placing in-shell peanuts on the porch. Evidently selecting just the right nut is serious business. I watched in amusement for hours as a blue jay would arrive on the porch and proceed to take a peanut into its beak only to set it back down and then proceed to do the exact same thing with nut after nut until it found just the right one. Once it found a peanut it deemed best, the bird would fly off with its prize in its beak.
Observing these blue jays led me to want to identify the other birds in my yard. Using a field guide, I eventually familiarized myself with my "yard birds," and then, wanting to explore beyond my neighborhood, I attended free birding field trips sponsored by the St. Paul Audubon Society. Eventually I began carrying a camera and keeping a journal. I've met many terrific friends and birding partners during my outings. I've also participated in citizen science projects such as the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology's Project Feederwatch. All of this came about after watching one pair of blue jays, my portal species, in the late spring of 2005. My life has never been the same.
Karen Cramer, Oakdale
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