I know im randomly asking but does anyone know a way to get back into an instagram account..? I stupidly forgot the login password. I love any help you can give me
I lived in my midwestern home for 5 years without ever once seeing a blue jay. I put out peanuts and within hours I had a brood of blue jays. I have no idea how they knew.
My favourite episode yet! I've always wanted to learn more about what they are saying. I certainly believe it is more complex than we realize. Last fall, I put peanuts on my deck. Some bluejays arrived to eat. I went out on the deck, and it was not the usual family. They retreated onto my roof. Then the usual family arrived and surrounded the deck, and there was sooo much chatter, including the "low threat" style of calls you mentioned. Then a member of usual regular family kinda said "watch this" and took a peanut straight from my hand. It's like there was immediate trust in this new situation for the new guys, confirming the low threat. Although others would not eat out of my hand, my presence didn't matter too much anymore, and they resumed picking the peanuts, even taking time to "weigh" them. But it was the vocal communication that astounded me - I was literally surrounded in chatter from them :)
Amazing! The way you described it seem like the jay was like, "Hey you guys are new, look at this, he's not a threat" and then showed the new jays that your hand can be eaten from XD They are one of the most intelligent birds. I love them so much!
TheBirdNerd indeed! It was a very strange feeling - almost felt like being a foreigner not understanding the language and communication all around you, but you can kind of figure it out or get hints from body language, etc - natural even for humans. I wish I could have recorded it for further study, because they are obviously more intelligent than we give credit for.
They are much more intelligent than we realize! I was looking online, and I guess crows can understand water displacement to get food! Amazing! I hope further study goes into corvids!
Aww what an awesome experience reminds me of my own experiences with them over the years. For me, when a blue jay trusts me I feel like I've accomplished something big, haha! Love those jays! Incredibly awesome birds.
I just bought a house and the backyard trees are filled with blue Jays... At first they were shy but now when I sit in the backyard they land right next to me.... So beautiful, what a treat, and they don't mind me listening to music either.
Thank you for sharing this knowledge! Our jays in Southern Ontario used to mimic the sound of us hanging clothes on the clothesline. The wheels would "squeak squeak" rather loud as you pushed the clothes out further on the line, and before we knew it the group in our area was mimicking it. Such clever, funny birds.
THANK YOU. I was going crazy trying to figure out a weird unearthly bird call and FINALLY figured out it was a blue jay. I had no idea that they had such a repertoire. 🤗
Best Blue Jay video yet on UA-cam. Pure heart, intellect, and spirit shine thru a clear understanding of how to better understand jays. Keep up the good work!!!
Wow! Thanks so much for the nice comment. I'm glad you feel that way about this video. There really isn't much about blue jays on UA-cam and I honestly don't understand why. They are such incredibly interesting birds. Happy Birding :)
Until this summer, my cat was an indoor/outdoor. Too many coyote packs in the neighborhood. Before she came inside for good the blue jays would mimic her meow well enough that I couldn't tell if it was really her wanting to come inside or not. I'd go to the door to let her in and there would be a jay in the tree (presumably laughing at me - his version of ringing the doorbell and running I guess).
I have 2 feral born cats in my yard, and jays are the only bird I've ever seen work together to run them off so they can get to the cat food. 😂 they are definitely something to behold.
I live in an urban setting in Washington DC. We have LOTS of Blue Jay's. I know a lot of these sounds but not all. There is a big tree outside my 3rd floor kitchen window that they like. It sounds like they are actually in my apartment, and I love it. I just recently learned about their mimicking skills. Pretty cool.
Thank you for what may well be my favorite UA-cam video ever. I've always adored blue jays and have greatly missed their songs since moving to Seattle more than three decades ago (we have their wonderful cousins the Stellar's jays here). Blue jay vocalizations made the woods of my native New Hampshire all the more magical, just as they do all the woodlands they inhabit. I'll be watching this again and again.... Well done!
You are very welcome. I'm so glad you enjoyed. Btw I would love to see stellar's jays. They are closely related to blue jays if I'm remembering correctly. Thanks for the nice comment
The pump handle call (especially when done in constant repetition) and accompanying dance makes me laugh EVERY time. These birds are so interesting to watch :)
The mid-morning of June 23, 2023, A blue jay excoriated me for not providing the proper bird seed in the feeder. The "screaks" squeaks and other sounds were so unusual, I ducked back in the house to tell my wife how the bird was talking to me. I never heard any bird talk like that in my life...and I am not young. Thank you for these VERY COOL videos!
I have been feeding and calling my Jay's with a whistle for 16 years and l have heard one jay make the hawk sound and another like a beautiful melody. I tell them l love them and been giving them unsalted cashews forever..lovey cardinals too. Thanks for the great video😊❤
There are two pairs that fly to my backyard every day, same time in the afternoon. Fun to watch. One of them often sits right outside my window and does that bobbing up and down while chirping. Thanks for your videos.
I recognize these bird's calls as I thought these calls were from many different birds. Now I know the blue jays are the ones talking. They seem to be more friendly than other birds too. Blue Jays love peanuts and peanut butter especially . thanks for your videos I love them
Great video, I always found the way blue jays communicate to be soo cute. Knowing the different types of calls mean makes them even cuter somehow. I love blue jays
Thanks :) I know what you mean when I started understanding what some of their calls meant it made it so much more enjoyable watching them. Blue Jays are awesome. Cheers.
Wow how amazing is this. Birdy lingo. These Jay's are absolutely gorgeous. Communication is really key and animals really are unique. Pretty interesting and certainly have alot of calls. Great footage and information.tysm
Wow! This is the best video I've ever seen to describe vocalizations of Blue Jays, and maybe your best yet! It's so informative and packed full of great video examples. I'll have to revisit it from time to time because you answered so many questions and validated my suspicions on a few! As always thank you for your hard work and education. I'm on Cloud 9 when I watch this and feel as though I'm there!
You're my favorite educator!!! I always walk away with new insight and information after your videos. Now, I suspect what helps makes these lessons stick is your passion, warmth and smiling voice joined together with this on-point information that you summarize so perfectly.
Aww thank you :) It wouldn't be possible, though if it weren't for the few others who took the time to learn about these incredible birds. So glad that you enjoyed this video. I learned a lot while researching about them and their calls, and it brought to light some of the things I've bee trying to understand and put into words for years. It's great to know these birds a little better.
Thank you for this video! To our surprise, blue jays have started to appear at our feeders here in Western Montana just in the last few weeks. From what I understand they are somewhat rare to our part of the U.S. We have a family of three individuals who come every day to our house. I am able to identify each from some unique markings. Today, I heard the "squeaky gate" call! The Blue Jays are competing with our Steller's Jays and Canada Jays at the feeders and suet cages. Both are such beautiful birds!! 100s of chickadees and nuthatches are here this winter as well. And, we always look forward to the visits of the various woodpeckers, especially the big Piliated Woodpecker.
Thanks for this video. I often wonder what each call means and some of them I never realized were jays at all! I have been interacting with Jays since I was a kid in my backyard. I have observed them protecting their young, harassing cats who are minding their own business and defending nests. When you finally hear those early morning pump handle calls, you know spring is here. Birds are awesome!
I love blue jay calls and always feel like it’s a good thing when I hear one nearby. Appreciate you making this video, I had no idea about all the variations in their calls and behavior. Next time I see a blue jay I’ll look to it’s crest for a vibe check haha!
Great video!! I always listen for the different calls of Blue Jays, only guessing at what I think it might represent. I marvel at what great imitators and sentinels they are for the community, their bravery is so admirable. Thank you for the beautiful shots, excellent information and narration!
I totally agree with you about your thoughts of the blue jay, definitely not a dull bird they are so interesting. Thanks for the nice comment, really glad that you enjoyed it. I enjoyed making this video because all of the research helped me to better understand what blue jay calls mean, too.
Beautiful and informative video! I knew they imitated hawk calls but I've never seen one doing a Merlin! Again, always an interesting and amazing video!
Also, have you ever thought about doing a Q&A with your fans about you? It would be cool and you have a lot of subscribers who would probably be interested. I dunno, just a though!
Thanks a lot. That was the only time that I heard a jay mimic a merlin, haven't heard it since. Awesome birds. And yes I've thought about doing a Q&A video, I've been meaning to do one to be honest just haven't gotten around to it but I should really try to this year, maybe in spring or summer when the weather is better. :)
I live in B.C. and there are still guidebooks that say blue jays do not exist west of the Rockies. But they appeared here in the 1990s and biologists met with birders to confirm it and it was a really big deal. They've been living here so long now that their calls are part of the soundtrack of my life. I've seen blue and Steller's jays sitting near each other in trees. Apparently other parts of B.C. don't have them, and I told this to someone from another area and they said I was probably mistaken. But NOPE! I've been watching and listening to them since my youth. One sound I hear that I didn't notice in the video sounds sort of like, "chewy...chewy..chewy," or something like that. Thanks for another first class video.
Fascinating! I have always been partial to jays, partially due the fact that my high school mascot (Jamestown, ND) is the blue jay. They are such beautiful birds, and your videos about them are so interesting and informative.
What a wonderful informative video. I really enjoyed seeing the young Jays. Thank you!! A Red-Shouldered Hawk frequents the area around my yard. I often hear him in the treetops and occasionally I will see him in the trees. One day while working in the yard I heard the Hawk calling loudly from my neighbor's yard. I crept around the shrubs hoping to get a close look. There sat a Blue Jay on my neighbor's deck calling out like the Hawk. I love the Jays and the Crows. I could listen to them chatter all day.
Thanks so much. I kind of figured that the glimpses of the young blue jays would be a real treat to some people, they are such little hams. I love how the jay had you believing it was a hawk making the call, they are very convincing. I remember when I first heard a jay mimic a sharp-shinned hawk, I was surrounded by about 20 hungry jays, just enjoying feeding and watching them and then all of sudden I heard a sharp-shinned hawk sound. I got up immediately and started looking around convinced that one was here. Then I heard the sound again but very close to me, I looked around and did not see a hawk anywhere. Again the sound was made but this time I saw who was the culprit, a cute little jay. I couldn't believe it. Awesome mimics. Love blue jays, they are welcome around my home any day love them!
I've been observing them closely the last couple of weeks as a result of having a nest of them in my backyard. I noticed that around dusk, one will make a "clucking" sound as it flies through the air. In my mind, I imagined that the blue jay was on patrol flying around looking for possible predators before settling down for the night.
I hear those exact Jeer calls very often but rarely spot a Bluejay in the trees. It's impossible to miss them when they land in my yard to feed. They're very loud and the blue ploomage is very eye catching.
So very informative, thank you. Previously our jays were mostly heard making alarm calls, but this past spring I was able to hear their quieter courtship/mating calls. I just got a video of 4 individual birds in a tree with a lot of Intrapair calls. Very cool. And last night was the first time I saw a jay at my new water stations. Now that the crows are gone for winter the jays have been very active. Your videos have been hugely helpful and learning more about them.
So happy to have stumbled upon your channel! I love all birds but I do have a certain fondness for blue jays. I really appreciate the clear, sourced information and beautiful footage. Looking forward to seeing more of your videos!
LOVE these guys. Regular visitors to front yard. They DO imitate hawks which has me dashing outside ready to scare off a hawk. That is a Bluejay. They are smart cookies. Another well done video. Thanks!
This was so informative, thank you! :)!There were a group of blue jays doing the pump handle call at the top of our tallest Aspen tree in my yard when I got home today, and it was so fascinating! I’d never heard that call before, and seeing them bobbing up and down had me so curious what they were talking about! Also I loved the part of the jay’s whisper song that sounded like water dripping!
Bluejay calling and body language! Love watching my blue jays from my Manhattan window. They always know a line of peanuts are waiting for them. They even yell at me in the morning if peanuts aren’t there. Great video and helpful understanding. Thanks.
I have a family of Blue Jays in my yard. Yesterday, they became very loud and agitated. One was perched right on the edge of the roof at the corner, another came from the other direction and landed on the roof of the porch where I was sitting. It would make two loud calls and then take two hops toward the other Jay, then repeat, until it reached the side of the porch closest to the other Jay. Then another landed on the ground between them, making the same call. When I looked at the one on the ground, I saw what they were upset about. A large Garter snake was slithering across my yard, headed for the porch. It went under the porch and they stopped calling and went back to business as usual. I found their behavior fascinating, which is how I ended up watching your videos. Good job BTW.
that's so cool. I know a friend who used to have the same thing happen. As soon as she turned on the kitchen light in the morning it wouldn't be too much longer before the jays were out there waiting for their treats
THANK YOU! I have heard that "squeaky gate" call for a long time but only today actually saw the bird that made it. I found your video while looking for jay calls to see if that was actually possible. I had no idea they were so versatile.
I have several blue jays around my yard and woods - I love watching and listening to them! Early this summer, a few Canadian geese were flying overhead. A blue jay was perched on my deck railing. The blue jay cocked his head to look into the sky and listened for a few seconds, then he perfectly mimicked goose honk. Blew my mind :) The blue jays in my woods frequently mimic (perfectly) the red tailed Hawk screech and the Red shouldered hawk call. I find the other birds know the difference - because they go about their business - unlike when an actual hawk is in the area and they freeze.
What a marvelous video! I recently moved to a new home surrounded by woodlands and these guys keep me entertained all day. I can barely get anything done! They seem very respected by the other birds when it comes to their warning calls for predators in the vicinity. Everyone snaps to attention! Very cool.
Hey, thanks a lot. I'm so glad you have these guys around to entertain you. Blue Jays are incredibly entertaining birds for sure. Pretty comical too. Love them
Great video, wonderful footage as usual. It was especially interesting because I don't have "blue jays" where I live, but scrub jays and Steller's jays (both of which are also blue, which is why I had to put "blue jay" in quotes). Supposedly Steller's jays are most closely related to blue jays. Some of the calls in this video are similar to Steller's but there are also differences. Steller's jays are also great mimics and one thing I have observed is that sometimes one will come up with a new mimicked sound of another bird, and other Steller's will pick it up and as months go by, passing it on to each other, the call will morph into a sound that is unique to those particular jays. The latest "call" that they have gotten into mimicking is the whistling sound of a mourning dove's wings. By the way, you don't point it out, but at one point in your video the jay imitates a tree frog.
I love your videos!!! I am so excited that I have been able to educate people about Jays in my tiny village! My neighbor was out today and I spoke with her. She said I wondered where the peanut shells came from. The matriarch and a Jay I helped out using my peanut whistle to call in her clutch from last year.
This video is great, thank you for making it. I watched it because I saw a birdy outside which looked like a bluejay but wasn't sure if it was one because I was totally ignorant of their myriad types of chirping and didn't want to assume it was one based on color alone. I thought bluejays were just another monaural type bird and that mocking birds were one of the few types of mimicking birds. Shows you how educated I am as an ornithologist! But it turns out it is indeed a bluejay near our home. It's beautiful blue colors and this video confirms it. When I got back from the gym, it was perched proudly at the crest of our roof. I was struck by how many different types of calls it had to share. Was trying to count them all. I think it must have had close to 16 distinct ones, possibly more. Honestly, lost count and that was fascinating! Found myself really enjoying it. It's the first time a bird ever made me want to stop and listen. I could listen to them calling all day long. What beautiful creatures. Think I'll name my new friend DJ Bluejay. Seems appropriate for most of these birds! :-D
They are very vocal that's for sure. I love all their various calls. Its awesome that you get to witness one for yourself making all the eat calls they make. Awesome birds. Btw I think that is great name for your new friend.🙂🐦
Great informative video on one my favorite birds. While watching 3 baby jays I'd had to fence into my back yard for several days (long story but the short version is every house on my block having cats) I was privileged to hear the myriad of quiet calls the parents made to the babies from trees above, teaching them how to scrounge for food, hide from me when I came out, etc. etc. When they went to wing, one was caught by a neighbouring cat down the block, evidenced by horrible screams from the parent when I went outside. It was easy to guess what all the screaming was about and very sad to follow it to the aftermath of feathers on the front stoop of a house down the street. These birds are full of passion and character and I am always curious to learn more about them.
Thank so much. Yes, it is pretty hard work, a lot of reading and research and so much more. No easy task but I love doing it. Very fun and I get to learn new stuff along the way, too. :)
They're so talkative! I've always wanted to know more about them, but in my experience they're among the most skittish of "common" birds. Just today I was sitting in my garage with the door open, and one landed sideways on a tree 40 in front of me, like a woodpecker. It pulled on the loose bark, paused, looked straight at me for a millisecond, and took off. Really cool birds, and a great video!
That's true, they are really chatty birds I love that about them, and they are very skittish. Thanks for sharing your story of your experience with a blue jay the other day. Those birds are so interesting and fun, to my mind at least. I've witnessed a lot of neat things from them over the years. Glad you enjoyed the video, thanks for the nice comment!
Great video Lesley. Thanks for putting this together and posting it. I love learning all about these interesting birds. My Bluejays came back to my yard yesterday and I was so happy to see them again. I'm not sure where they went for the winter. There are lots of peanuts for them. Keep up the great work!
No problem really enjoyed making this one, it helped me to understand the jays a little better, too. By the way, I'm so glad your jays have returned, they sure know how to liven up things. I bet they were just hidden in the woods over winter.
As always , a concise and very revealing exploration of a vastly misunderstood bird ! Lesley ,THANK YOU for your expertise and passion for our feathered friends (:
Thank you, Randy. Very much appreciate your kind words. Blue jays, like you said, are very misunderstood. Incredible birds that I have enjoyed for years now, don't have one issue with them. :)
I have a pair right outside my window here in NYC who have been here for years,they disappear for months at a time, and they come back and screech as usual 😅 love them!
I enjoyed this ! I have some that call in a questioning sound they make. As though they recognize me. It is not the loud call they normally do. I know this may sound strange. They see me putting out peanuts . I go inside to watch when they get them and they look right at me, take the peanut and fly off. I sure enjoy seeing them. I hope to hand feed then some day. Thanks for your sharing your passion for these beautiful birds!
A very informative video. Blue jays are beautiful, and very intelligent. I've heard them make the jeer call, the pump gate call (which I call the rusty pipe call), the begging call, and a red-tailed hawk imitation. I knew the hawk imitations are used to notify other jays of a hawk nearby or scare off other birds when feeding, and the jeer call can be used for mobbing, but I always wondered what the other calls meant. There have been studies on crows and their intelligence (they can recognize human faces!), but I wish there was more done on their cousin, the magnificent blue jay.
I havent seen a single Blue Jay in years. : / Until Thursday afternoon I saw 5 all at once flying from tree to tree staying together. It made my day :)
Oh my gosh this was so informative. I have had the amazing please of watching these unique, beautiful, and intelligent birds for the past couple of years. As I started watching this video I put my phone outside when suddenly here comes a Blue Jay that apparently heard with great curiosity. As always..I am amazed. I use to only see 2 of them come every once in awhile to eat the peanuts that were put out for them BUT then they started coming more often..I believe then, they brought their little ones to the feast..lol oh how O wish I could share the videos just after they heard the sounds today..truly remarkable to say the least. THANK U!!
Thank you for producing this video. I've been familiar with the typical call of Blue Jays, but recently, after witnessing / hearing 2 very different types of (quite pleasant) vocalizations I never knew they had, I started getting curious. Did some search and landed on this very informative video you made.
I heard a lilting, really pretty call today and wondered what bird was making it. Then, almost instantly, I heard one of the familiar Jay calls, coming from the same part of the tree. I think it was a pretty songstress, going from an almost haunting, soft lyrical tune right into a jazz composition. They sure can be interesting to listen to.
Grew up in Wisconsin where cardinals and jays were prolific. Thought they were both "midwestern" birds. Then moved to Texas and am now seeing jays everywhere here!
I haven't seen the jays around my bird feeder in over a year. This morning, they were back en masse! HAHA! I love that they are. Here it is late January in south Texas and the warmer climate likely brings them back but I have no clue. So, this morning, a mob of them was in my neighbor's tree just having a grand time. Among the various familiar calls, was the "pump handle" call you talk about at 3:09 minutes into the video. I hadn't heard this before and for a few minutes I thought this might be a different bird. If not for your video, I would remain clueless. Also, the local red tail hawk was out for his morning hunt and circling above them. This might explain the racket.
The call at 0:37... I’ve been hearing it for days each morning and could not figure it out. It was finally close enough to see the producer the other day... a BLUE JAY!
I've been searching everywhere to find someone else who has heard their bluejays saying peek-a-boo. I love when mine do, and they will often repeat when I say peek-a-boo to them
I feed the blue jays in my back yard. I often hear soft intrapair calls when they assemble in the branches, observing the peanuts I've scattered around. I think of it as their 'table chatter' lol.
there are a lot of resident bluejays that are always in trees around my backyard. around june, i noticed that this one tree had something that looked like a nest on a branch. a few days later, i hear "peeppeeppeep" so i got my binoculars (lol) and omg the baby blue jays were sooooo cute. when mama bluejay went to get food, they all went quiet. once they saw her flying back, they went nuts. i watched her feed the babies too, it was adorable to see their little mouths open and looking up at the mother. i miss seeing them. so cute
Thank you so much! I have many Blue Jays who daily hang around my bowl of peanuts in the backyard. It is getting to the point where I can approach them. I see a "pair", they're always together. I can vouch for all their vocalizations. They're fascinating birds to watch but they'll eat all my peanuts if I am not careful. I know some eat them but mostly hide them. Smart. They come in year around in my backyard. We must be on their way to wherever they hang out during the day. They arrive in the morning and return at night.
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Thank You. I saw my first bluejay less than a month ago. I love your info.
I know im randomly asking but does anyone know a way to get back into an instagram account..?
I stupidly forgot the login password. I love any help you can give me
@Eric Ibrahim instablaster =)
I lived in my midwestern home for 5 years without ever once seeing a blue jay. I put out peanuts and within hours I had a brood of blue jays. I have no idea how they knew.
Right exactly 😳 it's like telepathy
The blue bird borg :)
They reallyyy love peanuts 🥜😂😂 you won them over lol
That is so cool!
Unsalted Peanuts. No salt. Salt can kill poison them. Dont..
0:40 - Mimicking
2:22 - Jeer calls
3:03 - Pump handle calls
3:37 - Intrapair contact calls
4:03 - Rattle calls
4:37 - Whisper song
5:04 - Fledgling/juvenile calls
6:10 - Body language displays
Thank you. So beautiful to hear this.
People like you make this world a better place. 🙂 Tusind tak!
Blue Jay's are amazing! I love them so much! Last week 20 blue Jay's were screaming their loud jeer call there was a Hawk! They're so smart!
My favorite bird to see. They instantly make me happy. Their calls aren't beautiful but that bright blue and their personality makes up for it.
Idk why, but I find some of their calls very amusing...
Like little laser beams lmao
@@FastNCurious88I have to say, I agree that they are like little bird lasers!
I'm the same; mockingbirds also make me laugh!
My favourite episode yet!
I've always wanted to learn more about what they are saying. I certainly believe it is more complex than we realize. Last fall, I put peanuts on my deck. Some bluejays arrived to eat. I went out on the deck, and it was not the usual family. They retreated onto my roof. Then the usual family arrived and surrounded the deck, and there was sooo much chatter, including the "low threat" style of calls you mentioned. Then a member of usual regular family kinda said "watch this" and took a peanut straight from my hand. It's like there was immediate trust in this new situation for the new guys, confirming the low threat. Although others would not eat out of my hand, my presence didn't matter too much anymore, and they resumed picking the peanuts, even taking time to "weigh" them. But it was the vocal communication that astounded me - I was literally surrounded in chatter from them :)
Amazing! The way you described it seem like the jay was like, "Hey you guys are new, look at this, he's not a threat" and then showed the new jays that your hand can be eaten from XD They are one of the most intelligent birds. I love them so much!
TheBirdNerd indeed!
It was a very strange feeling - almost felt like being a foreigner not understanding the language and communication all around you, but you can kind of figure it out or get hints from body language, etc - natural even for humans. I wish I could have recorded it for further study, because they are obviously more intelligent than we give credit for.
They are much more intelligent than we realize! I was looking online, and I guess crows can understand water displacement to get food! Amazing! I hope further study goes into corvids!
Aww what an awesome experience reminds me of my own experiences with them over the years. For me, when a blue jay trusts me I feel like I've accomplished something big, haha! Love those jays! Incredibly awesome birds.
LesleytheBirdNerd I wish we had scrub jays and stellar jays in NYC. Those bird are beautiful like our blue jays.
This was beyond interesting; clear, concise, and very well produced!
Aww, thank so much :) Glad you enjoyed it. I really like this video a lot. blue jays are incredible birds.
LesleytheBirdNerd Where was this filmed at?
All clips in the video(except for the Red-shouldered Hawk clip) were recorded in Newfoundland!
@@LesleytheBirdNerd It is a great video, very informative.
I just bought a house and the backyard trees are filled with blue Jays... At first they were shy but now when I sit in the backyard they land right next to me.... So beautiful, what a treat, and they don't mind me listening to music either.
Thank you for sharing this knowledge! Our jays in Southern Ontario used to mimic the sound of us hanging clothes on the clothesline. The wheels would "squeak squeak" rather loud as you pushed the clothes out further on the line, and before we knew it the group in our area was mimicking it. Such clever, funny birds.
THANK YOU. I was going crazy trying to figure out a weird unearthly bird call and FINALLY figured out it was a blue jay. I had no idea that they had such a repertoire. 🤗
Best Blue Jay video yet on UA-cam. Pure heart, intellect, and spirit shine thru a clear understanding of how to better understand jays. Keep up the good work!!!
Wow! Thanks so much for the nice comment. I'm glad you feel that way about this video. There really isn't much about blue jays on UA-cam and I honestly don't understand why. They are such incredibly interesting birds.
Happy Birding :)
Until this summer, my cat was an indoor/outdoor. Too many coyote packs in the neighborhood. Before she came inside for good the blue jays would mimic her meow well enough that I couldn't tell if it was really her wanting to come inside or not. I'd go to the door to let her in and there would be a jay in the tree (presumably laughing at me - his version of ringing the doorbell and running I guess).
I have 2 feral born cats in my yard, and jays are the only bird I've ever seen work together to run them off so they can get to the cat food. 😂 they are definitely something to behold.
Great video! I've been hearing the squeaky gate call for the past few months and finally know what bird it was from!
Thanks!
Glad the video helped
I had one do that on the fence right next to me. Quite a sound.
I live in an urban setting in Washington DC. We have LOTS of Blue Jay's. I know a lot of these sounds but not all. There is a big tree outside my 3rd floor kitchen window that they like. It sounds like they are actually in my apartment, and I love it.
I just recently learned about their mimicking skills. Pretty cool.
Worth it to watch all the way to the end just to see Grumpy, typical toddler, throwing a tantrum, then looking around to see if anyone noticed!
Thank you for what may well be my favorite UA-cam video ever. I've always adored blue jays and have greatly missed their songs since moving to Seattle more than three decades ago (we have their wonderful cousins the Stellar's jays here). Blue jay vocalizations made the woods of my native New Hampshire all the more magical, just as they do all the woodlands they inhabit. I'll be watching this again and again.... Well done!
You are very welcome. I'm so glad you enjoyed. Btw I would love to see stellar's jays. They are closely related to blue jays if I'm remembering correctly. Thanks for the nice comment
The pump handle call (especially when done in constant repetition) and accompanying dance makes me laugh EVERY time. These birds are so interesting to watch :)
The mid-morning of June 23, 2023, A blue jay excoriated me for not providing the proper bird seed in the feeder. The "screaks" squeaks and other sounds were so unusual, I ducked back in the house to tell my wife how the bird was talking to me. I never heard any bird talk like that in my life...and I am not young. Thank you for these VERY COOL videos!
I have been feeding and calling my Jay's with a whistle for 16 years and l have heard one jay make the hawk sound and another like a beautiful melody. I tell them l love them and been giving them unsalted cashews forever..lovey cardinals too. Thanks for the great video😊❤
There are two pairs that fly to my backyard every day, same time in the afternoon. Fun to watch. One of them often sits right outside my window and does that bobbing up and down while chirping. Thanks for your videos.
I recognize these bird's calls as I thought these calls were from many different birds. Now I know the blue jays are the ones talking. They seem to be more friendly than other birds too. Blue Jays love peanuts and peanut butter especially . thanks for your videos I love them
I've enjoyed these birds for years. They're smart and their amazing numbers of calls are really impressive. Thanks for this "translation."
Great video, I always found the way blue jays communicate to be soo cute. Knowing the different types of calls mean makes them even cuter somehow. I love blue jays
Thanks :) I know what you mean when I started understanding what some of their calls meant it made it so much more enjoyable watching them. Blue Jays are awesome. Cheers.
I've got a mated pair landing a foot from me now to eat peanuts. It took two seasons ( i don't feed in summer). I love it!
Are you the Joseph O’Brien at Liberty University?
Wow how amazing is this. Birdy lingo. These Jay's are absolutely gorgeous. Communication is really key and animals really are unique. Pretty interesting and certainly have alot of calls. Great footage and information.tysm
Wow! This is the best video I've ever seen to describe vocalizations of Blue Jays, and maybe your best yet! It's so informative and packed full of great video examples. I'll have to revisit it from time to time because you answered so many questions and validated my suspicions on a few! As always thank you for your hard work and education. I'm on Cloud 9 when I watch this and feel as though I'm there!
You're my favorite educator!!! I always walk away with new insight and information after your videos. Now, I suspect what helps makes these lessons stick is your passion, warmth and smiling voice joined together with this on-point information that you summarize so perfectly.
Aww thank you :) It wouldn't be possible, though if it weren't for the few others who took the time to learn about these incredible birds. So glad that you enjoyed this video. I learned a lot while researching about them and their calls, and it brought to light some of the things I've bee trying to understand and put into words for years. It's great to know these birds a little better.
Thank you for this video! To our surprise, blue jays have started to appear at our feeders here in Western Montana just in the last few weeks. From what I understand they are somewhat rare to our part of the U.S. We have a family of three individuals who come every day to our house. I am able to identify each from some unique markings. Today, I heard the "squeaky gate" call! The Blue Jays are competing with our Steller's Jays and Canada Jays at the feeders and suet cages. Both are such beautiful birds!! 100s of chickadees and nuthatches are here this winter as well. And, we always look forward to the visits of the various woodpeckers, especially the big Piliated Woodpecker.
Thanks for this video. I often wonder what each call means and some of them I never realized were jays at all! I have been interacting with Jays since I was a kid in my backyard. I have observed them protecting their young, harassing cats who are minding their own business and defending nests. When you finally hear those early morning pump handle calls, you know spring is here. Birds are awesome!
Fascinating, thanks for sharing Lesley.
I love blue jay calls and always feel like it’s a good thing when I hear one nearby. Appreciate you making this video, I had no idea about all the variations in their calls and behavior. Next time I see a blue jay I’ll look to it’s crest for a vibe check haha!
Great video!! I always listen for the different calls of Blue Jays, only guessing at what I think it might represent. I marvel at what great imitators and sentinels they are for the community, their bravery is so admirable. Thank you for the beautiful shots, excellent information and narration!
I totally agree with you about your thoughts of the blue jay, definitely not a dull bird they are so interesting. Thanks for the nice comment, really glad that you enjoyed it. I enjoyed making this video because all of the research helped me to better understand what blue jay calls mean, too.
Beautiful and informative video! I knew they imitated hawk calls but I've never seen one doing a Merlin! Again, always an interesting and amazing video!
Also, have you ever thought about doing a Q&A with your fans about you? It would be cool and you have a lot of subscribers who would probably be interested. I dunno, just a though!
Thanks a lot. That was the only time that I heard a jay mimic a merlin, haven't heard it since. Awesome birds. And yes I've thought about doing a Q&A video, I've been meaning to do one to be honest just haven't gotten around to it but I should really try to this year, maybe in spring or summer when the weather is better. :)
0:38 the part where the blue jay mimics a informational video segment sounded just like a human no idea they could talk
Thanks!
Thank you very much, Joni. We appreciate the kind donation. 🐦
I live in B.C. and there are still guidebooks that say blue jays do not exist west of the Rockies. But they appeared here in the 1990s and biologists met with birders to confirm it and it was a really big deal. They've been living here so long now that their calls are part of the soundtrack of my life. I've seen blue and Steller's jays sitting near each other in trees. Apparently other parts of B.C. don't have them, and I told this to someone from another area and they said I was probably mistaken. But NOPE! I've been watching and listening to them since my youth. One sound I hear that I didn't notice in the video sounds sort of like, "chewy...chewy..chewy," or something like that. Thanks for another first class video.
Our Florida jays are quite vocal and I love to talk with them and also my woodpeckers or northern flickers. They call me every morning.
Fascinating! I have always been partial to jays, partially due the fact that my high school mascot (Jamestown, ND) is the blue jay. They are such beautiful birds, and your videos about them are so interesting and informative.
What a wonderful informative video. I really enjoyed seeing the young Jays. Thank you!! A Red-Shouldered Hawk frequents the area around my yard. I often hear him in the treetops and occasionally I will see him in the trees. One day while working in the yard I heard the Hawk calling loudly from my neighbor's yard. I crept around the shrubs hoping to get a close look. There sat a Blue Jay on my neighbor's deck calling out like the Hawk. I love the Jays and the Crows. I could listen to them chatter all day.
Thanks so much. I kind of figured that the glimpses of the young blue jays would be a real treat to some people, they are such little hams. I love how the jay had you believing it was a hawk making the call, they are very convincing. I remember when I first heard a jay mimic a sharp-shinned hawk, I was surrounded by about 20 hungry jays, just enjoying feeding and watching them and then all of sudden I heard a sharp-shinned hawk sound. I got up immediately and started looking around convinced that one was here. Then I heard the sound again but very close to me, I looked around and did not see a hawk anywhere. Again the sound was made but this time I saw who was the culprit, a cute little jay. I couldn't believe it. Awesome mimics. Love blue jays, they are welcome around my home any day love them!
I've been observing them closely the last couple of weeks as a result of having a nest of them in my backyard. I noticed that around dusk, one will make a "clucking" sound as it flies through the air. In my mind, I imagined that the blue jay was on patrol flying around looking for possible predators before settling down for the night.
Blue Jay couple come to my backyard every day....when they come thay call each other..❤
I hear those exact Jeer calls very often but rarely spot a Bluejay in the trees. It's impossible to miss them when they land in my yard to feed. They're very loud and the blue ploomage is very eye catching.
So very informative, thank you.
Previously our jays were mostly heard making alarm calls, but this past spring I was able to hear their quieter courtship/mating calls.
I just got a video of 4 individual birds in a tree with a lot of Intrapair calls. Very cool.
And last night was the first time I saw a jay at my new water stations. Now that the crows are gone for winter the jays have been very active.
Your videos have been hugely helpful and learning more about them.
So happy to have stumbled upon your channel! I love all birds but I do have a certain fondness for blue jays. I really appreciate the clear, sourced information and beautiful footage. Looking forward to seeing more of your videos!
LOVE these guys. Regular visitors to front yard.
They DO imitate hawks which has me dashing outside ready to scare off a hawk. That is a Bluejay.
They are smart cookies.
Another well done video.
Thanks!
thanks again, Leslie. it is always such a pleasure watching these magnificent birds and listening to you imparting such great info.
:) you are most welcome. So glad you enjoyed the information I dug up about them.
This was so informative, thank you! :)!There were a group of blue jays doing the pump handle call at the top of our tallest Aspen tree in my yard when I got home today, and it was so fascinating! I’d never heard that call before, and seeing them bobbing up and down had me so curious what they were talking about!
Also I loved the part of the jay’s whisper song that sounded like water dripping!
Bluejay calling and body language! Love watching my blue jays from my Manhattan window. They always know a line of peanuts are waiting for them. They even yell at me in the morning if peanuts aren’t there. Great video and helpful understanding. Thanks.
I have a family of Blue Jays in my yard. Yesterday, they became very loud and agitated. One was perched right on the edge of the roof at the corner, another came from the other direction and landed on the roof of the porch where I was sitting. It would make two loud calls and then take two hops toward the other Jay, then repeat, until it reached the side of the porch closest to the other Jay. Then another landed on the ground between them, making the same call. When I looked at the one on the ground, I saw what they were upset about. A large Garter snake was slithering across my yard, headed for the porch. It went under the porch and they stopped calling and went back to business as usual. I found their behavior fascinating, which is how I ended up watching your videos. Good job BTW.
I had a hawk nest in my yard this year, and there was a blue jay following the hawk and making hawk calls. I Thank you for validating this for me.
Excellent video! I have nine visiting me every morning exactly when I wake up and put on the kitchen lights. It is their signal for breakfast.
that's so cool. I know a friend who used to have the same thing happen. As soon as she turned on the kitchen light in the morning it wouldn't be too much longer before the jays were out there waiting for their treats
THANK YOU! I have heard that "squeaky gate" call for a long time but only today actually saw the bird that made it. I found your video while looking for jay calls to see if that was actually possible. I had no idea they were so versatile.
I have several blue jays around my yard and woods - I love watching and listening to them! Early this summer, a few Canadian geese were flying overhead. A blue jay was perched on my deck railing. The blue jay cocked his head to look into the sky and listened for a few seconds, then he perfectly mimicked goose honk. Blew my mind :) The blue jays in my woods frequently mimic (perfectly) the red tailed Hawk screech and the Red shouldered hawk call. I find the other birds know the difference - because they go about their business - unlike when an actual hawk is in the area and they freeze.
Amazing ..some of the Best video I have ever seen on Blue Jays .. I Love it ...Thank-you .for all you do ...
What a marvelous video! I recently moved to a new home surrounded by woodlands and these guys keep me entertained all day. I can barely get anything done! They seem very respected by the other birds when it comes to their warning calls for predators in the vicinity. Everyone snaps to attention! Very cool.
Hey, thanks a lot. I'm so glad you have these guys around to entertain you. Blue Jays are incredibly entertaining birds for sure. Pretty comical too. Love them
So lucky to have you making these type of quality videos!! Thanks as always!
Aww thanks so much. And you are very welcome, so glad that you enjoyed it
Great video, wonderful footage as usual. It was especially interesting because I don't have "blue jays" where I live, but scrub jays and Steller's jays (both of which are also blue, which is why I had to put "blue jay" in quotes). Supposedly Steller's jays are most closely related to blue jays. Some of the calls in this video are similar to Steller's but there are also differences. Steller's jays are also great mimics and one thing I have observed is that sometimes one will come up with a new mimicked sound of another bird, and other Steller's will pick it up and as months go by, passing it on to each other, the call will morph into a sound that is unique to those particular jays. The latest "call" that they have gotten into mimicking is the whistling sound of a mourning dove's wings. By the way, you don't point it out, but at one point in your video the jay imitates a tree frog.
I love your videos!!! I am so excited that I have been able to educate people about Jays in my tiny village!
My neighbor was out today and I spoke with her. She said I wondered where the peanut shells came from.
The matriarch and a Jay I helped out using my peanut whistle to call in her clutch from last year.
This video is great, thank you for making it. I watched it because I saw a birdy outside which looked like a bluejay but wasn't sure if it was one because I was totally ignorant of their myriad types of chirping and didn't want to assume it was one based on color alone. I thought bluejays were just another monaural type bird and that mocking birds were one of the few types of mimicking birds. Shows you how educated I am as an ornithologist!
But it turns out it is indeed a bluejay near our home. It's beautiful blue colors and this video confirms it. When I got back from the gym, it was perched proudly at the crest of our roof. I was struck by how many different types of calls it had to share. Was trying to count them all. I think it must have had close to 16 distinct ones, possibly more. Honestly, lost count and that was fascinating!
Found myself really enjoying it. It's the first time a bird ever made me want to stop and listen. I could listen to them calling all day long. What beautiful creatures.
Think I'll name my new friend DJ Bluejay. Seems appropriate for most of these birds! :-D
They are very vocal that's for sure. I love all their various calls. Its awesome that you get to witness one for yourself making all the eat calls they make. Awesome birds. Btw I think that is great name for your new friend.🙂🐦
Great informative video on one my favorite birds. While watching 3 baby jays I'd had to fence into my back yard for several days (long story but the short version is every house on my block having cats) I was privileged to hear the myriad of quiet calls the parents made to the babies from trees above, teaching them how to scrounge for food, hide from me when I came out, etc. etc. When they went to wing, one was caught by a neighbouring cat down the block, evidenced by horrible screams from the parent when I went outside. It was easy to guess what all the screaming was about and very sad to follow it to the aftermath of feathers on the front stoop of a house down the street. These birds are full of passion and character and I am always curious to learn more about them.
I'm so glad I stumbled across this channel (showed up on my homepage), it's been an absolute delight watching these videos.
Great 'exposé' on these clever imitators & nut robbers! I bet a lot more work goes into your videos that ppl imagine.
Thank so much. Yes, it is pretty hard work, a lot of reading and research and so much more. No easy task but I love doing it. Very fun and I get to learn new stuff along the way, too. :)
I doubt it was ever work for you. You're very lucky, & I know why you are a success. Please keep up this good work. This world needs people like you.
Thank you! I adore blue jays and their calls!
They're so talkative! I've always wanted to know more about them, but in my experience they're among the most skittish of "common" birds. Just today I was sitting in my garage with the door open, and one landed sideways on a tree 40 in front of me, like a woodpecker. It pulled on the loose bark, paused, looked straight at me for a millisecond, and took off.
Really cool birds, and a great video!
That's true, they are really chatty birds I love that about them, and they are very skittish. Thanks for sharing your story of your experience with a blue jay the other day. Those birds are so interesting and fun, to my mind at least. I've witnessed a lot of neat things from them over the years.
Glad you enjoyed the video, thanks for the nice comment!
Very fun and interesting to see similarities and differences between the blues you so wonderfully document and the scrubs that grace my life.
I love that they share similarities. I would love so much to see the scrubs. Jays are terrific.
Great video Lesley.
Thanks for putting this together and posting it. I love learning all about these interesting birds.
My Bluejays came back to my yard yesterday and I was so happy to see them again. I'm not sure where they went for the winter. There are lots of peanuts for them.
Keep up the great work!
No problem really enjoyed making this one, it helped me to understand the jays a little better, too. By the way, I'm so glad your jays have returned, they sure know how to liven up things. I bet they were just hidden in the woods over winter.
Super fascinating as well as absolutely stunningly gorgeous. Well done God on jays and thanks Lesley for the video, as always a masterpiece
I love seeing all the new jays!! The whisper song is my favorite. So sweet!
I had noticed the wide and magical repertoire of blue jays and was delighted to see your studies on this.
Your blue jay videos TOTALLY give me a new appreciation of these fellows... thank you! :)
They're lucky you moved into the neighborhood. You enriched their life and they your's. And mine too! Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
In Houston, TX our Blue Jays here mimic Red Shouldered Hawks very commonly! My girlfriend and I love your channel, keep it going!
Outstanding video! I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about the beautiful Blue Jay. I had no idea that they made so many different sounds.
Hey! Thanks a lot for the nice comment. I'm happy you enjoyed the video. Blue jays are pretty cool birds 🐤☺
As always , a concise and very revealing exploration of a vastly misunderstood bird ! Lesley ,THANK YOU for your expertise and passion for our feathered friends (:
Thank you, Randy. Very much appreciate your kind words. Blue jays, like you said, are very misunderstood. Incredible birds that I have enjoyed for years now, don't have one issue with them. :)
I have a pair right outside my window here in NYC who have been here for years,they disappear for months at a time, and they come back and screech as usual 😅 love them!
I enjoyed this ! I have some that call in a questioning sound they make. As though they recognize me. It is not the loud call they normally do.
I know this may sound strange. They see me putting out peanuts . I go inside to watch when they get them and they look right at me, take the peanut and fly off. I sure enjoy seeing them. I hope to hand feed then some day.
Thanks for your sharing your passion for these beautiful birds!
A very informative video. Blue jays are beautiful, and very intelligent. I've heard them make the jeer call, the pump gate call (which I call the rusty pipe call), the begging call, and a red-tailed hawk imitation. I knew the hawk imitations are used to notify other jays of a hawk nearby or scare off other birds when feeding, and the jeer call can be used for mobbing, but I always wondered what the other calls meant. There have been studies on crows and their intelligence (they can recognize human faces!), but I wish there was more done on their cousin, the magnificent blue jay.
I havent seen a single Blue Jay in years. : / Until Thursday afternoon I saw 5 all at once flying from tree to tree staying together. It made my day :)
Oh my gosh this was so informative. I have had the amazing please of watching these unique, beautiful, and intelligent birds for the past couple of years. As I started watching this video I put my phone outside when suddenly here comes a Blue Jay that apparently heard with great curiosity. As always..I am amazed. I use to only see 2 of them come every once in awhile to eat the peanuts that were put out for them BUT then they started coming more often..I believe then, they brought their little ones to the feast..lol oh how O wish I could share the videos just after they heard the sounds today..truly remarkable to say the least. THANK U!!
I have long admired both the video and audio of your videos.
God bless you and your mate; Merry Christmas.
Wow impressive video! Got a ton of these in Texas. I think it's my new favorite bird! Fascinating!
Thank you for producing this video. I've been familiar with the typical call of Blue Jays, but recently, after witnessing / hearing 2 very different types of (quite pleasant) vocalizations I never knew they had, I started getting curious. Did some search and landed on this very informative video you made.
Blue Jays are super cute, unique and intelligent. I wish I see them here in the UK, we only get European Jays. 😃
I do agree with you! The blue jay still keeps me learning about them, they are an addiction to me!!
Thanks, Lesley, for this fascinating Blue Jay video so beautifully filmed!
You are so welcome, and thanks so much for watching and for the lovely comment. Have a great Week ahead
I heard a lilting, really pretty call today and wondered what bird was making it. Then, almost instantly, I heard one of the familiar Jay calls, coming from the same part of the tree. I think it was a pretty songstress, going from an almost haunting, soft lyrical tune right into a jazz composition. They sure can be interesting to listen to.
your blue jay videos are so beautiful, thank you for them. I've learned so much!!!!
No problem, glad you enjoyed the video and thanks a lot for the nice comment
Grew up in Wisconsin where cardinals and jays were prolific. Thought they were both "midwestern" birds. Then moved to Texas and am now seeing jays everywhere here!
I haven't seen the jays around my bird feeder in over a year. This morning, they were back en masse! HAHA! I love that they are. Here it is late January in south Texas and the warmer climate likely brings them back but I have no clue.
So, this morning, a mob of them was in my neighbor's tree just having a grand time. Among the various familiar calls, was the "pump handle" call you talk about at 3:09 minutes into the video. I hadn't heard this before and for a few minutes I thought this might be a different bird. If not for your video, I would remain clueless.
Also, the local red tail hawk was out for his morning hunt and circling above them. This might explain the racket.
SO awesome! I learned so much. Can't wait to binge on the rest of your videos. BirdNerd -- SO cute.
:) Thanks a bunch!
The call at 0:37...
I’ve been hearing it for days each morning and could not figure it out. It was finally close enough to see the producer the other day... a BLUE JAY!
The bobbing up and down makes me laugh, it’s so cute!
Thanks Lesley, I am fixated on Blue Jays too! I like your focus!
There was a blue Jay in my feeder this morning. I live in Denver, it's a first to see one this late in the winter. Beautiful video!
So glad I found this to understand. Love these birds
I've been searching everywhere to find someone else who has heard their bluejays saying peek-a-boo. I love when mine do, and they will often repeat when I say peek-a-boo to them
You’re the reason why blue jays are my favorite bird to the consternation of anyone I tell lol
I feed the blue jays in my back yard. I often hear soft intrapair calls when they assemble in the branches, observing the peanuts I've scattered around. I think of it as their 'table chatter' lol.
there are a lot of resident bluejays that are always in trees around my backyard. around june, i noticed that this one tree had something that looked like a nest on a branch. a few days later, i hear "peeppeeppeep" so i got my binoculars (lol) and omg the baby blue jays were sooooo cute. when mama bluejay went to get food, they all went quiet. once they saw her flying back, they went nuts. i watched her feed the babies too, it was adorable to see their little mouths open and looking up at the mother.
i miss seeing them. so cute
I had no idea Bluejays were a lot like mockingbirds. Really great video.
When I go outside in the morning to leave seeds and nuts, a bluejay always makes that pump handle sound. I’ve always taken it as a thank you.
Thank you so much! I have many Blue Jays who daily hang around my bowl of peanuts in the backyard. It is getting to the point where I can approach them. I see a "pair", they're always together. I can vouch for all their vocalizations. They're fascinating birds to watch but they'll eat all my peanuts if I am not careful. I know some eat them but mostly hide them. Smart. They come in year around in my backyard. We must be on their way to wherever they hang out during the day. They arrive in the morning and return at night.