A pair of bluejays set up housekeeping in my neighbors' tree at the old house. I meant to get photos of the nest (and maybe babies), but it required climbing onto the roof for a good view (from underneath it looked like nothing). I never got around to it. Then while watering yesterday I found this. Is it a parent or a juvenile? I don't know. And what got it? Cat? Fox? Falcon? I hope one of the latter two. The cats around here are all well-fed pets and don't need dietary supplements.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Blue
A pair of bluejays set up housekeeping in my neighbors' tree at the old house. I meant to get photos of the nest (and maybe babies), but it required climbing onto the roof for a good view (from underneath it looked like nothing). I never got around to it. Then while watering yesterday I found this. Is it a parent or a juvenile? I don't know. And what got it? Cat? Fox? Falcon? I hope one of the latter two. The cats around here are all well-fed pets and don't need dietary supplements.
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Hi Kitt,
ReplyDeleteI found your bluejay photo from birdchick's blog site.
Totally a juvie blue jay--most of the flight feathers are growing in (adults molt only a few flight feathers at a time) and also the body feathers are too "fluffy" to be adult jay feathers. Too bad the little guy didn't make it!
I'm only guessing it's an accipiter or a falcon that got it--since it looks like the bird was plucked well before the prey was carried off. You can also look for teethmarks in the flight feathers--that's usually a sign of a fox or coyote getting it, but I'm not sure if cats will leave teethmarks too.
Hey, thanks, Andrea! When I didn't get a response from Birdchick, I worried I'd broken some blogging or birding protocol. I just felt sad about the bird.
ReplyDeleteI was kind of hoping it was a juvenile, so at least the other babies or parent weren't abandoned.
No teethmarks, so it must have been a bird of prey that got it. I don't see a lot of accipiters here (new word for me, thanks!), but last year I did see a pair of peregrines around quite a bit. I like them, too, so I can't begrudge them a blue jay.
Again, thanks!
P.S. If you have a blog, send me a link? (Kittbo AT gmail DOT com) Your profile's not public. (And if you don't want to, that's OK.)
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