A lot About Blue Jays 

I raised a nest of 5 orphans when I was 7 yrs old. They grew as fast as I could feed them. They were a handful at first, until school let out. My Mom helped me out a lot too. Within a month they were taking flying lessons. They visited & roosted every year thereafter. Then we relocated too far away to keep in touch. One treat they love are raw, unsalted, unshelled peanuts. They'll strategize in tactical teams if cats are present. They are very intelligent creatures. They'll always remember who you are to them.

I'm so glad you showed the molt stage,I've never seen it and would have felt sorry for the poor Jay.I have one coming to my feeders and all the other birds get out of his/her way except the woodpecker who stands it's ground.It's truly astounding how much seed he/she can pack into it's neck pouch! I hope to see a pair and young!

We had a pet blue jay named Blujie that we rescued from the ground when she fell out of her nest as a baby because feral cats were on the ground. Needless to say her parent jays and accompanying attendants were frantically calling to her. We tried to place her higher up in a small bush but it didn't do any good; so we took her inside and she grew up in our air conditioned studios. She thought we were her flock and she never took to bird seed; she wanted to eat what we ate including fried chicken (cannibal!) She was the love of our life since we weren't allowed to have larger pets like a cat or dog there. We kept a lovely golden large cage with the door always open as her home. Her favorite color glass beads were light blue, dark blue and hot pink. She loved to decorate my hair with dried purple little flowers and once I got caught at work with a peanut tucked neatly into the top of my back braid. We tried twice to liberate her with my hubby climbing a cedar tree and letting her go, but she didn't like the hot Florida air outside the air conditioning and seemed to have trouble breathing outdoors. Yes, our story had a sad ending. The air conditioner broke down in our studios after 3 years and Blujie couldn't breath, I raced on my bicycle to buy a long plastic tube so my husband could blow air to her but she died in his hands soon after he tried it. She is now buried in a beautiful decorated metal box with her colored beads and purple flowers under the cedar tree in the yard outside the studio front door. And I am crying again remembering her, her intelligence, her love and her making us her flock! RIP Blujie. Oh I forgot to add that Blujie has become one of my dream guide animals and even speaks English when she is in my dreams. The last dream was of a different house and she told me not to spread my shoes all around because we would trip on them, and sure enough when I looked around - my shoes were everywhere. I now in real life keep them neatly in a shoe rack that's part of our bed headboard - actually a magazine rack. Thanks Blujie!

This is one of the most calming videos on the internet

Blue jays are such beautiful birds!!!

Thank you. Nicely Narrated. Feels and sounds like you enjoy what you do.

We have come to call the loudest one the town crier because he makes the jeering call both to ask for peanuts and to alert others than peanuts are present. My mother saw him leave and come back with a flock of mourning doves after he saw the hanging feeder was filled. So he’s looking out for all the birds that come to our back yard, not just his mate or flock. Proves to me animals can and do show compassion, sometimes more than humans!

We love you Lesley. All the work and love you put into your videos and time in the field so we might learn and discover knowledge about the various species of birds. I love this video about the Jays,as I am watching my Jays at this very moment feeding on the unsalted inshell peanuts. I have 2 very large and healthy Oaks out in my yard,among various other Pines and Maples. I've learned so much from you. I've been an avid birder for 30 plus years,and thought I knew just about everything including behavior. This isn't the case🤣. I just wanted you to know how much we appreciate and love you and your soft easy voice,your expertise and humor as well. Thankyou so much❤

When my brother passed away I had a blue jay sitting on my house power lines for a good hr I told my father, my dad passed away 1 month later ... their was a blue jay with a red jay sitting on the power lines for a good while...🥰

My Blue Jays are so spoiled. I have one that has a call when peanuts are needed.

I had Blue Jays feeding out of my hand. It took a lot of work but they finally trusted me. One of the greatest experiences of my life.😊

My friend and I feed squirrels, chipmunks & birds at the nursing home she's in. We find blue Jays are arrogant &noisy but we still love them.

Lesley the nerdy bird girl and her bird herd! Last week, I went out to feed my bird herd and as usual, i make 'stupid' calls to let them know breakfast is served. Off in the distance I could hear the Jays calling back, followed shortly by their appearance. This was a first!

they're so amazing and beautiful..,..thank you !!!

I have a group of Blue Jays who enjoy visiting my bird feeders. They usually "announce" their arrival one by one. They wait in the trees still I start passing out the unshelled peanuts, and then again one by one they begin hopping down the tree branches to get their snacks.

Thank you for your beautiful video. I love blue jays. Many years ago there was this one, with a very deformed foot that landed on my hand to feed. I was so surprised! And it kept coming for a solid three years, looking older and in worse shape every year. But so brazen and confident. I kept waiting for it to come back. The last time, his bad foot was just useless. And when it didn't show up the next season I knew it was finally gone. I loved it and how he trusted me. I have photos of this blue jay feeding and standing on my hand. One of the most beautiful experiences in all my life. Again, thank you!

We kept an injured bluejay when I was younger. We named him Wingnut. We didn't know Bluejays could mimic sounds. Wingnut started mimicking mom's land-line telephone so well that she'd walk into the room to answer it. She never saw who "called", but got a clue one day when Wingnut and Ruby(a Red Lori) both started laughing and dancing when she came in the room. This happened daily. He never molted though, like that. Never lost all the feathers on his head.

Well put together video once again Lesley. Relaxing, visually appealing, and informative. Your quite the professional bird content creator. Thanks for your time and effort!

Blue Jays were my first beloved bird. My grandad use to feed them and that's what started my LOVE for ALL birds...however my favorite are Carolina Wrens and Crows.

I have a blue jay that comes to visit me almost daily in the beautiful tree by my condo. He squawks when he is present and I put out peanuts and almonds and he swoops down to get them. He even drinks out of a container of water I have on my patio. Always makes me smile. :) I live in Denver, Colorado.

Thank you, i was watching one from my bed through a window outside. My dog just passed its hard, but it has caused me to look at the other animals around me and helps. Thanks!

Blue Jays in their molten state remind me of those creatures from the Dark Chrystal. They are now among my favorite birds. 🐦

A few years ago I raised one from a baby. Neighbors must have thought I was nuts when I was teaching her how to find bugs. We would leave her outside during the day while at work, but when we got home and called her she would come and land on our shoulders.

Living in the Carolina's I don't get to see this magnificent bird much anymore as I did in Central Florida.

I finally was blessed to see one on my trip to Michigan. Where I live, there is the elusive road runners. I hope to see a red robin. My mom loved birds. They remind me of her... Nature lover. May she rest in peace. 🙏😇💔💞

Fascinating information, especially regarding the visual perception of their color and surprising extent of their longevity. I have picked up feathers that "change color" when you turn them, and now I know why -- thank you, as always.

Blue is rare in nature. These birds are beautiful to me. I love when they visit my yard.

Blue Jays have become my favorite bird to watch. Your videos have taught me so much about them. Two days ago I heard a bird call I never heard before. I looked and looked until I found the bird high in a tall tree in the back of my home. I could clearly see the blue jay bobbing its head up and down while making the call. Thanks for sharing all you knowledge.

Great information! No matter the weather, my backyard Blue Jay pair always pays me a visit. Love seeing them :)

When I put peanuts out without a jay in sight I ring the chimes on my deck and they usually show up in a few minutes. Awesome!

I have a tattoo of a blue jay on my arm…. Love these birds

We have so many in our area (central, Ontario-Canada) I have been a bird lover for 60 years and still learn as much as I can TY.I feed them daily and have the shells all over the neighborhood to prove it lol and why my folks around me don't say a word is a sweet thing to me. They are the best Thieves of the bird world I think it is a joy all year round to feed and care for my birds =)

Really enjoy the Blue Jay videos. I put out peanuts every morning for the Jays in my area. They all drop by and are so loud squawking and fun to watch. They take every peanut shell not leaving anything behind.

Blue Jays love to splash out all the water in our bird bath.

I live in a rural area in North Central Arkansas and there are lots of Blue Jays here. I have been watching a nest in a Pine tree right outside my door and there are about 5 little birds in the nest. it's been fun watching the Mom & Dad bring food to the nest. Yea, I call the Blue Jays the bullies of the birds around here and they are also the largest; the Red Headed Woodpecker being the next in size, at least in these parts. There is a Pileated Woodpecker that I see occasionally in my yard and it is a big, beautiful bird..!!

We had 2 wild blues that would come and sit in our hand and lap to eat! Also talk too! Miss them! 4 years each.

That was wonderfully informative and entertaining! I'm so glad I'm not the only one so entertained by the fussy and intelligent bluejays!

2:49 "You can't accept me without my makeup, you don't deserve me at my best!"

My favorite bird of all.I have a communitygarden at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn,NY.There are a lot of birds.But once in awhile you can hear and sometimes see the Blue Jays.

My Aunt had a home near woods,I loved spending Summer's there in the screened in porch on the side of the house.Woken each morning by the sound of blue jays,even now at 63 year's old, I think of my Aunt everytime I hear one.

thanks Lesley. this is one of the best parts of my day; listening to and learning from you and the birds. hope you all stay warm. best wishes from California.

What a wonderful video, Lesley! Thank you so much for sharing this with us. These are such beautiful birds.

We have a family of Bluejays in our yard & I love watching their antics.. we live in eastern FL so it's nice to have them around all year.. I put out peanuts & we have two large Oak trees that produce acorns every year.. love all our birds.. we have a Cardinal family..a Scrub Jay family even a couple of Swallow-Tailed Kites that come by every few days.. they all are extremely noticeable for their different calls..our Red Tailed Hawks sreech thru & sometimes I think the Bluejays have mimicked their calls too..

Another interesting video. Blue jay is so beautiful and majestic ! When he arrive, others birds leave !

Yes, I did learn something new about birds and that is that they molt! Thank you very much!

Thoroughly enjoyed this vid and the crow vid too . I'm not a 'birder' but found your presentations very well done and informative. Thank you. Going to see now if you have one on my fav bird - hummingbirds. 💜🙋

I grew up seeing blue jays in the south. I miss them now. I enjoyed seeing this video. It took me back to my childhood days

Thank you for the Blue Jay info. informative and interesting.

I appreciate your videos! Help me to cope with this horrible society where we live!

Thank you for another great video

Saw one on Whistlers Mountain when we were visiting from New Zealand. They are lovely! We have a Tui that looks black but has such a beautiful colouring when light falls on them! We were thrilled to see a Blue Jay in the wild!

I love their jeer call. It cheers me up. I love all their calls.

Naturally my favorite bird! lol Much enjoyed! :)

I love this channel!! The gang of blue jays I feed on my porch every morning are so funny and smart! They get very annoyed if I decide to make a pot of coffee first and will yell at me. So interesting about the jays color.

I am originally from California. As a child growing up in the early 60s we had many Blue Jays in our state. A lot of tarantulas and lightning bugs. But as more and more people came in encroached on the land it was very rare to see a Blue Jay the same with the tarantulas! 🕷and lightning bugs 😕 I live in Minnesota now where they are an abundance of Jays, thankfully. 🐦🦉🦅🐤🦆🕊🐦 Your videos are AWESOME!

I also found a baby Blue Jay on the ground when I was maybe 10, or 11 yrs. old . Its nest was also on the ground . I kept him or her in the nest in our house . I named him Cookie . I offerd him food and water , but I would put him and his nest out in the front yard and his mom and dad saw him and came every day to feed him . I would let him learn to fly outside . He always cam back to me . But one day he flew to a tall tree and looked at me for awhile , then flew away and did'nt come back . I missed Cookie but I knew that he would fly away one day . It was a great experience for a little girl who is an animal lover , now 74 yrs. old .

A few years ago I had a cat that killed a Stellar Jay hatchling. It was a long involved battle as she brought to me still alive but in bad shape. The parents (that mate for life) were zooming around and very upset, and I managed to get my cat to give up the bird momentarily. I put the cat in the house and attempt to get the bird back into the woods to the base of the tree the nest was in (I live in a rural area of Washington state). The parents that had been dive bombing the cat, did not dive at me' though they were still quite distraught, /they seemed to understand I was trying to help. I kept the cat inside overnight, but being an outdoor cat (no litter boxes -never -I have two big dogs now -a Lab and a Rhodesian Ridgeback) I let her out in the morning. Within an hour I heard the Jays again, and this time she had finished the job. The Jays shreaking and went on for hours. They remained in the area for several more years, and whenever my cat was outside, the cry out their alarm and dive bomb her. I had two cats at the time and they never once reacted to that cat in the same way. And I swear it's the truth, on several occasions, while I would be quietly alone, reading a book or having morning coffee on my deck, one of them would fly down out of the tree and land on a deck rail and make friendly cooing noises at me. They remember and recognize people and act accordingly! Incredibly beautiful birds all of them! Cheers

Wow, blown away by just how long blue jays can live.

This brought back good memories. My bedroom growing up had a sheltered corner where a bluejay made its nest. They returned and used the nest multiple years. Always relaxing and cute to see chicks growing up

I've haven't seen the babies yet; but a pair of blue jays made their nest in my families birch tree earlier this month. First day I saw it I saw Mama and Papa bird were shooing off squirrels and other birds :)

Another great video, learned alot, thanks!

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I saw something remarkable today. I live in NYC, in a third floor apartment with a fire escape that looks out onto a park. I have a few bird feeders hanging from my fire escape and I had my windows open to let in some fresh air. I glanced outside and literally three feet in front of my window, directly over my fire escape is where it happened. Two blue jays were tumbling like wagon wheels in the air. Over and under. Over and under. I've never seen a blue jay fly upside down but here they were. At the center of this vortex was a beautiful red cardinal, seemingly spinning vertically in place, surrounded by the two blue jays. The saturated blues. That red. The movement. No artist could have imagined anything so beautiful. All three birds were tangled in air. Were they playing? Fighting? A moment later all three birds landed on my fire escape railing, calmly resting. They seemed to know each other and were not antagonized. A few moments later they flew off. The last few years I've been feeding blue jays peanuts from my fire escape but, during this time, I've only seen a couple of cardinals. Apparently they shy away from buildings and glass. Cardinals feed in the early morning and dusk hours so why did this encounter happen? Oh my, it took my breath away. I had a brief moment with God.

Thanks Leslie! You have lowered my anxiety for awhile with this lovely video, I always smile at the Jays. I am in Brights Grove Ontario and we have torrential winds in the middle of the night right now. They have been bad since yesterday afternoon with gusts of 120km and I can't sleep worrying about how my little friends will cope. Some will die for sure and first thing in the morning I am going to see if anyone is hypothermic on the ground and get them warmed up. Life as a bird is not as sweet as most people think. They battle extreme weather and many hawk attacks. My darling Juncos are always looking up as they feed because we have some brazen hawks who are not even afraid of us running after them making noise. I had the pleasure of saving a house sparrow a few weeks back. I went out early in the morning to put seed out and I found him under the apple tree shivering. I picked him up without any fight from him and put him in my down coat. After about an hour near the fireplace he became coherent and was blinking at me but very still ( he must have been scared out his mind at this human smiling at him). When I went to put him in a box he flew off (little bugger!), but I managed to get him out a window back to his buddies. I really miss him and hope he survives the night if he is still alive. Anyways, your videos always make me smile and they are very educational so I wanted to thank you for all that you do. I would love some of some your photos of Sweet Girl, Blue and Hermoso etc. How can I purchase them?

Thanks Lesley. I always enjoy your informative videos. I love Blue Jays. They look so weird when molting. LOL. Keep those videos coming.

I live in the UK. We don’t have blue jays, and so I found this very interesting. Thanks for posting.

We have both blue and Stellar's jays on Puget Sound here in Washington state. They enjoy our feeders, and also like the cobs of corn we put out for the squirrels in our yard. These are truly beautiful birds, fascinating to watch, and , yes, they're very intelligent. Thank you for your wonderful videos!

I'm from Arizona, so this was a real treat for me to see these lovely birds. I've seen RU-vid videos of crows, so knowing that they are related. Thank you!

Great video Lesley, all birds have extra cones in their eyes that allowed them to see ultraviolet light, that along with specific pigments on their feather, that we humans can't see, may allow them to identify each other and their gender. Information from a book by Geoffrey E. Hill "Bird Coloration" published by National Geographic.

I LOVE BLUE JAYS!That is why I have photo of a blue jay.

You are an amazing lady. Please keep us informed. Your knowledge and love for these birds will teach me much. God bless!

My 13 yo daughter is my birder, and she will LOVE these videos.

Happy video.

Hi Lesley - I bet Blue, Sweet Girl and the rest wouldn't like being called feathered apes - lol! Enjoyed the video👍 I never knew how high above ground they made their nests. Finally received your book!! So many birds I'm not familiar with - love it and each pop up of each bird👍 - Stephanie

Great video! Thanks so much for making this!

My two favorite birds; Chickadees relax me and make me smile and Blue Jays which grab my attention and endlessly fascinate. Your high quality videos bring the outdoors indoors on a night with 50mph wind gusts in Northern Wisconsin, thank you.

Thank you for another lovely and informative video. The mosaic of feathers remind me of stained glass. The group of juveniles at the end is so sweet.

2:47 We have plenty of both blue jays and cardinals in our neighborhood, but I've never seen them molt their head feathers like that. They must be hiding out of shame! =^[.]~=

They’re amazing birds. My sister raised a baby blue jay many years ago.His nest had fallen from a tree in a big storm, and his sibling didn’t make it. When he grew up he slowly started spending more time outside, probably joining in with the local group and starting his own family. We never saw ol’ Peeppeep after he left. That bird would perch on our head and on the horses. He was so cool

I remember finding Blue Jay feathers as a kid and thinking they were the best feathers to find. I treasured them.

One naturalist to another: Thanks! That was very informative.

I love our blue jays! I didn’t know they heads go bald like that so I guess ya learn something every day.

I love Bluejays, They are so beautiful, a work of art. I'm hearing impaired, I had no idea how bad I was until nI got my first hearing aids. I had not heard the birds for years, and lots of other things. Did you know stirring a potato salad make a noise? Yes it does, squishy, like an alien ripping its way out of a human body! Once I got home I sat on my back steps and heard the birds, I cried. Cried all the way home, my car sounded broken, I heard my favorite song I'll never forget the joy of that day.

It's good to see how you are showing the Blue Jays so well. I was used to having them when I was growing up in MN, but they just migrate through on the Front Range of CO! I am used to Magpies here, that I didn't know in my original home. I've only told one other person that I can feed them (the Magpies) daily in the morning.

As a Canadian, you have to love Blue Jays!!!

Resounding applause, yeaaaa another video

For about 4 seasons I had a blue jay friend who would come when I tapped my wedding ring on the breezeway barrier and would get up on my hand/arm to eat peanuts from my palm. Sadly, one spring a couple of years ago, he didn't come back from his/her winter digs. I was pretty sad. It was such a wonderful relationship that took almost 2 months to foster into a trusting relationship.

I've never been this excited to watch a video before lol Thanks so much for making this video about this beautiful bird

Thanks for the documentary. I got to see moulting Jays last spring. Amusing. They survived it, though :)

0:30 I thought you was gonna say "strips of newspaper to read in the morning" 😄

Beautiful birds. I have my morning coffee and watch them steal the peanuts I put outside my kichen window.

I love blue jays and I love 10 minutes of these cute birds

6:43-6:50...love seeing them together!

It is so wonderful to hear & see the good things about the Blue Jays, they get such a bad rap!

This is great! Really great video of the birds. So much I did not know. Thank you.

All these years (I'm 67) and I thought those were Stellar Jays. I definitely learned something new!!!! Thank you!!!

I can’t imagine a more beautiful creature. Thank you Lord.

I LOVE MY BLUE JAYS IN MY YARD THEY WILL COME DOWN AND PICK OUT PEANUTS RIGHT OUT OF MY HAND.

One thing about Blue Jays, they will notify other birds of predators in the area. I was on my deck one day, and there had to be at least 20-25 Blue Jays chasing a Hawk away..it was soo loud I couldn’t even hear my music anymore.