Scrub Jay Blue and his life as a rescued animal

Tips for those in for the long haul

2012-01-09T17:59:00.000-08:00

A quick post. A few people have left comments in the " I found a scrub Jay what do I do? post. There are some amazing stories there. And I am glad so many people helped each other in my absence.

A Scrub Jay named Paraguin Pickle is alive and has a great home thanks to some great people who found him covered in mud as a baby. They have done an amazing job.

As Blue is now about 13. I wanted to share a few things I learned along the way. Both good and bad.

Sandpaper perch covers. Sounds like a good idea to keep their claws from getting too long. It's not. In fact, it damages the pads on the bottom of their feet. I know every pet store carries them, but they are no good. And not just Scrub Jays but most all birds. They sell a soft fabric perch cover that sticks on and comes in a roll like tape. You can find this at a good vet or avian clinic. Possibly at your local pet store.

Learn to trim their nails or have an avian vet do it. I really prefer to do it myself. Make sure you learn how first. There are a ton of how to videos up on that. It can be dangerous to have their claws too long. For both of you.

Later I will do a post on beak and nail over growth as it is something that everyone will deal with who has a Scrub Jay for a long time. It can be remedied very easily.

Another reminder. The more variety in their diet the better. Mix it up. Hand feeding is great, but let them crack and eat their own nuts. Its good for their beak and they will not become reliant on you to do it for them.

Yellow Veggies are good for their eyes and that's the one area they are prone to have the most problems as they get older. Carrots, Yellow Squash. Organic plain baby food works for this. Just vegetable and water. And the birds love it. You may find your seven year old Scrub Jay still flapping it's wings making baby sounds when you feed them this. Blue still does.

Because these birds are so social. You will find when they are young they do well around most other people. But they may be frightened by odd things. More so as they age. A certain color, a certain sound. Someday you will come home and your bird will look at you and scream. For me it was a hat... and a certain jacket or two. If I wear them. He gets scared. So, I don't wear them near him. If someone is doing yard work outside I stay home. A scared bird in a cage is no good. They will flap around and get hurt. A really scared Scrub Jay will go open beak in panic, its time to take action to calm them down if this happens. Take them in another room. Make it dark. Talk to them. Take them away from whatever is scaring them. The lawnmower, whatever it may be. Oddly blue loves white noise. He sings to it. Try it!

If you ever want another vacation in your lifetime find someone you really trust and let them bond with your bird.

Let someone get to really know your Scrub Jay. Let them get close to it so it's very comfortable with them so they can stay and watch it for you. Although we have boarding services here. Blue at his age is so reliant on me, is so used to his known environment and our routine. I could never board him. I would not sleep at night. I have to have someone he is very comfortable with here with him in our house.

Lastly, just give them a ton of attention. They live for it. Give them plenty of toys, hiding spots for their nuts, and lots of patience and love. You won't regret it.

Check out some of the new data on the intelligence of the western Scrub Jay! New lifespan data there too. The oldest Scrub is 15 years old.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Scrub_Jay

Intelligence

Main article: Bird intelligence

Recent research has suggested that Western Scrub-Jays, along with several other corvids, are among the most intelligent of animals. The brain-to-body mass ratio of adult Scrub Jays rivals that of chimpanzees and cetaceans, and is dwarfed only by that of humans. Scrub Jays are also the only non-primate shown to plan ahead for the future, which was previously thought of as a uniquely human trait^[7] Other studies have shown that they can remember locations of over 200 food caches, as well as the food item in each cache and its rate of decay. ^[8]"

Peace
Tim

Blue the Scrub Jay - We are back!

2011-11-29T21:01:00.000-08:00

I was happy to see I was able to even access this old account. I have done my best to quickly remove all the spam. I was surprised and touched by the many comments people continued to leave in my absence which has been years besides a few updates.

So I do plan on getting back on track and updating this blog. For those that asked, thank you! Yes, I am doing much much better. It was a long recovery. Please be patient as I update things here.

There were many comments from many people who had lost a pet, or were seeking help or sharing great stories. I am sorry I was not around to answer them or comment.

Blue is still alive beyond all expectations of the Vets or me. I was wrong about their age. I learned although a one could live 15 years. The average age life span in the wild is 3-6 years. Blue may be one of the oldest Scrub Jays around. He has slowed down a bit. He is officially elderly which is one reasons I decided to come back and share the rest of Blues life.

Besides his bad eye, which has caused a few small problems over his life. He has had no other health issues. We are blessed with a great avian Vet here who has always treated Blue with great care.

From living with Blue to interacting with the local wild Scrub Jays, I have learned so much more I want to share. And I will this is just an update.

Blue still has visitor scrub Jays where we live now, right next door to where I originally found him. I feed them raw nuts only. They are feisty young siblings. They follow me around , attempt to enter the house and feed from my hand. They interact with Blue. They peer through the windows. One now lands on me while the other is always a bit more nervous. It's the only way I can tell them apart. One is more shy.

Blue gets excited when they come. He has handed one a nut before through the screen door. He hides nuts all over in a frenzy of competitiveness while they do the same outside.

The more comfortable visitor Scrub Jay sings the whisper song to me which amazed me when it happened. I have caught it only a few times in the wild. I never had one sing to me 12 inches away. I know I can easily capture this on video. He also bounces off my head, which is a sign of affection. I was able to witness the dance Blue does to my hand signals for the first time ever in the wild. Something I have waited 12 years to see. To my surprise this does not seem to be a mating dance. They are two young siblings and they did this dance together. I hope to catch this all on video.

So this is just a quick update. I have ton of content to add from over the last 3 years.

Here are just a few recent photos of Blue taking his Sun Bath which he now does on my hand. I take him to the best spot with the most sun. And a few of his visitor friends.

I will be using a new Youtube channel. Stay tuned while I tune things up here.

Peace

Tim

These are all recent pics I had handy.

Blue Bathed in Blue

Yes that's my foot

Sun worshiping

He seems so young in this picture.

Sun Trance

Visitors

I watched these two since there first day of flight. I used to feed their parents who then taught them to get nuts from me.

Blue 12 years old

Here is one of Blue's old videos. He still plays ball each morning.

Blog Ending

2010-05-26T15:13:00.001-07:00

Hi Folks,
Its been a long time since I have even visited my own Blog! I have enjoyed the many years of sharing Blue with you and have enjoyed even more being a small part in helping over 80 people deal with a Scrub Jays found in distress, most were successfully released. Blue is still going strong exceeding all my expectations of how long he may live.

In these financially turbulent times. I simply do not have the means, a working camera, nor the time to maintain this Blog. I will keep the info up as long as possible. And who knows, maybe I will get back to it again soon.
Peace
Tim and Blue

Blue gets a tree!

2009-02-07T19:55:00.000-08:00

It was my Birthday recently and one of the things I have wanted for a long time was a tree for Blue. Something permanent rather then using branches; I wanted Blue to have his own tree with leaves. Blues favorite tree is a ficus tree. He would often sit in one in our old back yard where he feels safe from large birds or noisy neighbors.

Dan my father found the perfect tree. A fake but safe and very real looking ficus tree. Standing at about six feet tall, its a large tree. I take some real branches from other trees and hang toys and treats from it now. Blue loved it immediately and now plays in it and also uses it as a place of sanctuary. It also looks cool in my room. So its a good deal for the both of us.

Here is a few pictures of Blue the morning he first got his tree. Video to come with some brand new antics.

Blue Goes To Vet!

2009-01-17T12:53:00.000-08:00

Its been a long time since I have posted anything. My health and other family matters have kept me busy. Blue and I have moved to the Country, where we both belong. His cage, when he is in it looks out over the ranch and in the morning the sun rises pouring light into his cage. He is very happy here.

My health is much better, thanks to a few good doctors and allot of time. Blue always knows when I am sick, happy or sad, and acts accordingly. Often when I am resting he sits and softly sings sings to me.

Here are a few shots from the drive up to the vet, his exam, and his morning song this AM.

Blue is Boy. I always thought he was, but only a DNA test can confirm. Its now official. Blue is a male.

Blue Sleeps

2008-07-11T09:22:00.000-07:00

Blue Sleeps soundly at night puffed up, sometimes with his head tucked making him into a perfect ball. Often he will fall asleep out of his cage and I can pick him up and he will stay asleep in my hand. I put him on his perch next to his beloved mop and he curls up next to it. I never thought a bird sleeping could be so beautiful. Here are a few photos to judge for yourself.

Blue Video

2008-06-30T09:21:00.000-07:00

Elusive Suntrance and Meal in the wild

2008-06-30T06:30:00.000-07:00

This Comes from From: kiaoragin on Youtube. She shot a wild young Scrub doing the Sun Trance and then getting fed from its parents. Enjoy this great footage.

Blue brings food and treats to me durring ilness. New Video!

2008-06-25T09:14:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks,
There have been many new comments on the post "What do i do if I find a Scrub Jay?" There is a link on the left. There is much to learn from the many people who have saved and released many birds. Thanks to all who have left comments as we all learn from them. I have tried to answer all the emails and comments regarding people in need of help when they come across a distressed or abandoned Scrub Jay. If I missed someone during my illness, I apologize.

I have been very ill for the last 2 months, basically housebound. I am doing much better now. Blue began to bring me things throughout the day on the first day I became ill. It started with food. I was not eating much. He was care taking. He would bring me a piece of a nut or cat food and do what you see in the video below, grunting for me to take it. If its food, I pretend to eat it and then hide it quickly when he is not looking. Then the treats he had stolen throughout my illness began to come back to me as offerings. He has always brought me things occasionally but never many times a day and never food until my long down period. As soon as I got better, the food deliveries stopped. But we still trade little objects daily. Blue is doing well but getting all brand new feathers in. This is always a bit rough on him. They require more rest during this period. He now only has his tail feathers left to drop. He is doing great quietly sitting on my hand as I type this.

You may notice Blues beak is overgrown. Blues vet had told be not to worry and to leave it because it was too stressful on most birds to clip them. It got worse. I decided Blue could handle it if I did it. Not only did he handle it well, he sang to me and brought me a treat afterward. He loves his new very sharp normal beak. I cannot use sand paper on his perches as many people do to prevent this. He rubs his eyes on the perches. His mineral block etc. is not enough to keep his beak from overgrowth. He is blind in one eye from a cataract. This is the only health issue he has had in the ten years we have been together.

We have also moved into a new apartment right next door. Its the same exact layout, but backwards, which took some time for Blue to figure out... 1 day.

Beth Cataldo came yesterday to work on the documentary about Blue and I.
I would like to thank her for her endless patience during my illness.
Here is a link about her last movie, the Multimedia Company she manges, and her personal website. All are well worth the visit.

Enjoy!
Peace
Tim

Eagle attacks goat - throws off cliff

2008-06-24T19:02:00.001-07:00

This is amazing and hopefully real. Though its not a Scrub Jay I thought I would post it anyway. New Stuff coming soon from Blue who is doing well. were busy working on the Documentary.

clipped from youtube.com

Blue Plays in and out of his cage

2008-04-25T15:10:00.000-07:00

Blue is doing great. I have been spending a great deal of time with him as I get better and adjust to my new seizure meds. Blue has been bringing me food, which is a brand new thing he does. Something that began when I became ill. We exchange objects on a nearly hourly basis, sometime much more. But even Blue needs time to himself. Blue is out of his cage most of the time. But he will ask when he wants in his cage. And when he does he organizes and plays and even softly sings to himself.

Here is a video of Blue playing in his cage. You may notice his beak is slightly over grown. I trimmed it yesterday and he is just fine and was not fazed in the least. I have been putting it off and now realize that even Blue knew it was for his best interest and trusts me to do such a thing. Five minutes later he did his dance and song with his wings spread, a show of affection to me. In the wild it is a mating dance. With Spring here Blue is dancing and singing 5 times a day.

During this time of recovery, Blue has saved me once again. I never get bored as Blue is always ready to play, to hide things and bring things to me. To play a simple game of tug of war or sit on my shoulder and take a nap or gently sing to me as I slumber. He sits on top of my laptop as I write, often leaving and coming back and forth with treats. If he gives me something, I give him something in return. Blue now has seven bowls, dishes and caches to hide his booty throughout the house.

When I am home he does demand one thing -- that I am nearby, within eye shot. This is fine, until I need a daytime nap. I have to move his cage near my bed, the only room he is not allowed in freely, as it is not bird proof. Katie makes jewelry and there are too many tempting things to steal for Blue while I sleep, shinny beads and silver strands a plenty for a flying pirate such as Blue. He is never allowed out without being watched. There are far too many things that can happen with such a curious bird. While the cage is at the door of my room where he can watch me snooze, he does so silently, aware I am sleeping. He never awakens me, but often sings the whisper song to me which is very conducive to sleep. He will also squeeze in a few winks with me at times. If he knows I am home, and in the other room ignoring him, he will make noise until I change my act. There are no breaking these rules.

I enjoy the fact Blue is so closely bonded with me. Scrub Jays mate for life. It shows me that all animals, as well as people need others around them to be truly happy. Were not so different, animals and humans -- we all need relationships, friendship and love -- as well as food, water and a warm safe environment.

Peace
Tim Rumford

Enjoy Blue in his cage playing.

Spring is here!

2008-03-21T09:49:00.000-07:00

SPRING IS HERE!

Spring is here and it came early. New birds are appearing at the feeder & Blue is getting very spunky as he does in the spring. Good news, my new seizure medicine worked and the neurological issues I was facing have quickly diminished. Blue can tell I feel better. Yesterday he danced and allowed me to pet him and then started flipping his wings and talking like a baby, just as he did when he was being hand fed as a little baby.

When Spring comes so do many people searching for help from me when they find a Scrub Jay in distress. I will be updating diets, and creating lists of native animal rescue centers. I firmly believe you should not keep a wild bird unless there is no alternative. Last year out of about sixty rescues, only three people had to keep there birds. My next post will be an updated version of what to do should you find a scrub jay in distress. Until then enjoy this movie of Blue and some of the nature nearby as spring awakens.

The Comfort of Animals in an insane world

2008-03-17T14:58:00.000-07:00

The Comfort of Animals in an insane world
by Tim Rumford
This has been one of the roughest months I have had in many years. My epilepsy returned, something that I have had since my recovery from encephalitis. I used to be so sensitive to light I could not read, watch a movie in a theater or use the computer without having a seizure. That was during the first three years of recovery starting in 1997. During this time I also had spinal surgery which left me in chronic pain.
I was told any symptoms left after that 3 years would remain permanent. This proved to be largely correct. But my seizures and light sensitivity have returned again, nearly 7 years later. Epilepsy never goes away, but the medicine keeps it at bay, like a lurking monster, you always know its there and may return to haunt you.
My seizure medicine stopped working. After a few weeks of getting sicker and sicker from trying to use the computer, read, film and just be. I had three seizures in a week. I had to stop everything. No more reading, driving, or even answering simple e-mails. I saw my new neurologist. He was concerned and has ordered several tests, MRI's, EEG, blood work and... and new seizure meds... My seizures changed. There are different types - Grand Mall Seizures, Petite Seizures, Partial Seizers etc. One things stayed the same -- the trigger is light sensitivity, stress, and illness.

For those that have never had to take a seizure medicine, they can take a very long time to get used to, and often, they must try different ones to see which work for best for your seizures. The side effects can be horrible and sometimes it takes a full month to get used to them.

The first one I tried made me more than groggy, worse, after only a few days, it amplified my light sensitivity, sending me into a whirlwind nausea, illness, isolation and more seizures. I feel like I am moving backwards in time, going back to the state I have worked so hard to get out of. Of Course I have Blue, and this is sometimes the only thing to keep me going.

This is very depressing. Not being able to do anything is also very hard to deal with. Slowly, like right now -- I am able to do small things. This is the first time I have used the computer in weeks. I wear sunglasses and use a filter on my monitor. Still , I now have to write in fifteen minute spurts. I may only get one or two in a day, or none at all.

I stopped the new medicine. The side effects were too much for this humble writer to take. Four days later, still tired to the bone, my eyes returned to the same level of light sensitivity we were trying to fix. I was back at square one. I began to become very depressed. Then just to top it off, I got the flu, again. With a fever of 103.5, vomiting, headache and sore throat, I could stand no light at all. My days were spent in bed with covers over my eyes, or crawling on the floor to the bathroom. There is something else going on the doctors have not been able to pinpoint, some autoimmune disorder not yet diagnosed. So I have been sick on and off for about 6 months. Mostly it was small viral illnesses or flus. This was a short lived flu, but a veracious stomach flu, and as the norm its was again viral, so there is not much they can do.

I have learned to live within a world of many limitations. But every creative outlet I have relies on my ability to read, write, and use the computer – except playing music, and of course hanging out with my pal Blue. Even playing music is out of the question if I am feeling ill. Everybody needs to have creative outlets, and mine were all taken away, or at least it seems from my perspective at this time. I will feel better.
Blue, as many of you have read in my first posts, rescued me as much as I rescued him -- maybe more. He gave me something to care for, to love, and to live for during a time I was seriously ready to give up. Cash in my chips per say.

When I rescued Blue, he was just a little baby, fresh out of the egg, still wet to the touch. I was in the beginning of my so called three year recovery. I was living in a small dingy trailer that was depressing in itself. I could have stayed with my family whom is loving and endlessly supportive. I needed to be alone through that period. I was dead broke fighting for my Social Security Disability. My medicine alone was costing me $1200 a month. I was un-insurable through any corporate insurance company. I now had a “preexisting condition”. This is one of the great sins of our Country, to tell someone they cannot get insurance or medical care, because they are too ill. It happens everyday.

When I found Blue I decided if I could keep him alive, I could do the same for myself. He was the best medicine I have ever received. I made a pledge to Blue in my trailer that night, and I meant to keep it.

Now ten years later I am entering another test in my life, a low point in my health reminiscent of days I thought had long passed. I am not complaining. Everyone suffers in this world. No one is immune. Comparing suffering is a game I try not to play. No one persons suffering is diminished because someone else's suffering is worse or better. I am blessed to be alive, to have a roof and a warm bed, and friends and family that love me. Still, life can get very hard, for anyone. Society demands from us certain things I believe to be very suicidal in nature. Disabled, sick or healthy, these demands can become too much for anyone. Yet these things are always there and at least for me, I cant seem to escape them completely.

This last few months have just gotten worse and worse progressively. At the height of illness, I had three nervous breakdowns in one day. I was a mess. Blue again has saved me. With the neurological issues comes extreme agitation I try to keep at bay.

Blues behavior is changing in ways as he gets older. However, instead of acting...old, he acts more young. He plays more now than ever, he invents new games and new ways of getting the attention he needs and wants and we shower him with it. He dances and sings more. He goes in to a mood where he acts like a baby, flapping his wings as he did when he needed food as a baby, and making baby sounds. His bond with me changes and grows. There are things he does I am not sure people would even believe, but believe this, he has once again rescued me from myself. He has shown me there is joy everywhere.

I am am very much a realist, a rational person. I believe and have witnessed things I cant explain in life. Not only with Blue but many other things. The world is full of mysterious and beautiful things far from our grasp of knowledge, but I also believe all these things have explanations.

Somehow, Blue knows when I am sick. He also knows if either Katie or I are stressed. I figure the knowing about the stress is from the changes in the inflections in our voices. Blue is very much aware by the tone of my voice, what kind of mood I am in. If I cry, Blue will immediately land on me and sit on my shoulder as close to my head as he can. If I get sick with something like the flu, which amplifies my other problems, Blue goes into care mode. He will not leave my side, sometimes for weeks. I just got better this morning from the flu that hit me right after the medication fiasco. A huge bottle of a yet another new seizure medicine awaits me, and it makes me sick just looking at it. But in a few days, I have to try again.

When I got the flu, I was throwing up, having small seizures, and had the worse case of restless leg syndrome I have ever encountered. I was so tired I could not function, but could not rest or even sit down -- for 12 hours due to RLS. My agitation grew worse as I got sicker and could not settle my legs down enough to simply rest, sleep or just... be. My fever got to 103.5. It got so bad I was slithering around on the floor. I felt like I just wanted to crawl out of my skin. I was slithering down the hallway, wearing sunglasses to keep th light out of my eyes. Blue fluttered above me worried like a medical helicopter trying to find a place to land on me that was still.

I tried to calm Blue down, but I was so sick I could barley speak to Blue. Then I noticed he has something in his beak. Blue will often give me something when I am not well. Normally he will return a stolen object, like a guitar pick, coin, or key. Mostly he coughs up a peanut to give me, which I accept and pretend to eat. I am not sure he buys it but I make a good attempt. Sometimes I will show him that I have hid it in my own spot. If I do this, Blue will not return and take it.

As I tried to focus on what he had, I realized it was exactly what I needed and was planning on finding as soon as I could get up off the floor, get to the bathroom, vomit, and be able to speak to a doctor. Blue had my new Neurophysiology Doctors business card in his beak. . I was in trouble. I was alone and I needed to call him. My neurological problems were so bad coupled with the flu and a high fever, I was very scared. Blue had been trying to give it to me for ten minutes.

It would not had been so strange if this card had been something Blue had shown previous interest in, but he had not. It had been sitting on the coffee table for three weeks. Blue often steals from here, and checks out the area daily. He had passed up stealing that card 100 times since I placed it there. I am not saying blue knew this card was my doctors. But he sees me use the card, many times when I am sick.

I accepted the card from Blue. I gave him a guitar pick in return, the only thing I had with me which we now give back to each other ever so often. He also took the card back when I was done, and hid it in his bowl, where it still sits. He takes it out now and then. I have let him keep it.

Still today Blue will not leave my side. He is sitting 4 inches away now. If I get up he will follow. This is what Blue does when I am in distress. If I am well, he flies all over hiding things, getting into trouble, plays, and although we interact allot, he entertains himself very well. He can spend hours investigating something new or hiding and re-hiding his many cache's of treats and treasure and stolen objects. As long as I am in eyesight, I can keep him out of trouble and he is happy.

If Blue is alone in the house he is content and will sing softly to himself. We put a camera on him when we left for several hours to see how he was alone. He was fine and I was very happy to discover this. Everyone needs time alone, even a bird. Although he is not alright for any long lengths of time in our absence. I we leave him alone for more than 5-6 hours, he will become sad. So Blue is never alone for that long. Its part of the promise I made. It's also the reason I try and tell people to think very hard before you keep such a bird as a rescue. The commitment is huge -- one I am happy I took. Unlike a dog, I cant give Blue to someone else should I become tired of caring for him, he would never be the same. I know this will never happen. Should something happen to me, Katie has bonded enough with Blue that he would remain happy.

When I am home, Blue demands one thing from me, sick or well; I must always be in view of him unless I am just getting up to go to the bathroom or get something quickly out of another room.

Every day I have needed to take a nap at 2:00. My body sort of shuts down. If I am not watching Blue, I put him in his cage. He is so interested in getting into EVERYTHING, that I do have to watch him when he is out. When I went to take my naps I would put him in his cage. Recently, he refuses. When I start to dose off, he will scream at me from his cage.. This the only time he ever screams or acts loud. Its like, “Come get me NOW!” It has nothing to do with being in the cage. Its not a cage to him, its his house, and 95% of the time, the door is always open. He demands time in his cage to hide and arrange his nuts and to rest.

I could not figure out how to solve this problem. I needed my rest too. Blue needs contentment. I am responsible for Blue including his contentment. I raised him, I opted not to let him die but to remove him from the wild. If he is unhappy, its my doing, end of story. It is my responsibility to fix it. The bedroom is one place Blue is not allowed to fly free. Katie does her arts and crafts in there, and too many things that are dangerous to Blue and readily available for him to steal. He used to just sleep on my head, or a perch nearby my bed. But I worry too much he will get into trouble as I sleep. A few weeks ago, dying for sleep. I placed the cage right up to the door of the bedroom so Blue had a clear view of me sleeping. This not only worked, but Blue enjoys it and sings softly to me as I slumber and eventually will take his own nap. He now looks forward to this time. He expects it, and thank goodness.
Had I not been so sick, I would have figured this out long ago.

The Documentary is continuing, but changing as my life spins somewhat uncontrollably around me. Its hard filming Blue, and will take time to capture all the little moments that shows who Blue really is. I am very glad Beth has been so easy to work with and understanding of what is happening in my life.

Tomorrow will be like Christmas for Blue. We just got him a slew of kids toys that do all kinds of things when you push a button, make a noise etc. Blue has a deep fascination with electronics, particularly if they have buttons, lights, and react to his actions. The TV remote, the phone, my computer, the camera, all these things fascinate Blue to no end. It was Katie that came up with the idea of trying these toys and its a great idea. I look forward to watching him learn how to make them interact.

It took seven sittings to write this. Blue is still 6 inches away watching me. I am much better today, but Blue is not convinced its over, and he is right. I have tests and new meds awaiting me.

I see Blue pave new paths to greater and greater happiness and enjoyment of life as he gets older. I often wonder which one is really the smart one here. I never trained Blue. I let him make his own rules. I never trained him to come to me on command, or let him think I was the master as you would with some animals, such as a dog. You cannot punish a bird. You cannot get mad at a bird. It serves no purpose and will only harm it. This freedom allows Blue to try things. It also makes him free in the sense that he is his own master, at least of his small realm. I may have to save him from himself at times, but its Blue that discovers happiness in the mundane items we give him.

Its Blue that seeks out joy, love and affection. It is Blue that can take a pare of chop sticks and find joy in them for an hour. Then show us they are much more than just sticks, but toys to play tug of war, sticks he can sit on and ride as we hold them and move them around as he enjoys the movement of being on such a bouncy unstable stick that barley holds his weight. That a chop stick can be chewed up, hidden, and best of all, can be used to gently pet him all over. He loves this. He finds joy in removing the paper, and the interaction of playing with the sticks and us. These joys are just a few of hundreds he has found in the simplest things. It reminds me of being a child and playing for hours in a cardboard box. When I was a young boy, my mom reminds me I would play for a day with a roll of tape and a huge cardboard box, building a fort, or whatever. We loose are childhoods. We grow up and we also loose the ability to find joy in something as simply as a cardboard box. Blue does the opposite. His mind seems to stay young, in spirit, as he grows old.

I hope to find that kind of peace, again.

Cheeky

2008-03-04T15:24:00.000-08:00

This is Cheeky,
A commenter here and fellow Scrub Jay enthusiast caught this film of a wild, but befriended young scrub doing the Sun Trance. They named him Cheeky. Its rare to catch them doing this, as they really do trance out and are very vulnerable to attack. They must feel very safe, as this young bird did in their own yard.

I have seen other videos on you tube of Cheeky entering their house, checking out a few things and fearlessly leaving.

This shows you do not have to capture a bird to have relationship with it. It takes time, patience and peanuts ( In California) , but its worth the time.

Blues parents were friends. We feed them and they would land on us after months of work out in my mothers yard. Their first nest was in a very poorly chosen spot. A short tree in the front yard, which was odd, as we never fed them their or interacted with them there. It was also a tree kids climbed and the nest was in plain view. Crows came and killed every newborn but Blue, who dove or fell out of the nest at one day old -- still wet he survived the fall. Another bird fell with him and died on impact. No rescue center would take him at the time. The next year they moved the nest to a great spot and had a successful year and the same family continues on today, Blues relatives.
But things have changed since then. Now we have a great Native Animal Rescue Center that is VERY responsive.
Thanks for this great video of this youngster sun trancing. You can find more great videos of Cheeky and MANY other birds on there YouTube Channel - http://www.youtube.com/user/kiaoragin

NASA wants to clear Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

2008-02-29T11:44:00.000-08:00

In Florida, meetings have been attracting bird and nature enthusiasts over plans by NASA to clear a section of Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Florida for a launching pad. The meetings at there height drew about 300 people and none appeared to be in favor of the idea. Suggestions of using the old Canaveral Air Force Base property were proposed, which would be ideal because it would involve redevelopment of an existing site, which sounds like a better economic development project than clearing wildlife habitat and would serve NASA's needs just as well. I hope NASA listens.

Few other developers could get away with destroying a habitat that supports the only endemic bird in the State, the Florida Scrub Jay. As our new poster Andromeda pointed out, “There was a push a few years ago to make it our state bird. ( this humble writer thought it was the state bird...) Sadly, it was squashed claiming that the bird didn't represent "family values" since it has been known to rob nests. The senator, of course, conveniently left out the fact that they're co-operative breeders; they're so unique in that they live in little family groups and the young from years past stick around to help their parents rear future chicks.” Andromeda was right on the mark.

This has to be one of the most ignorant statements about nature I have heard spewed from the mouth of a politician in a long time. Although it does not surprise me in the least. Our own president called the Constitution “Just a God damned piece of paper!” when an aide mentioned portions of the Patriot Act were unconstitutional.

Scrub Jays are not the nest robbers people often claim they are. They do rarely take eggs, more so with the Western Scrub. Still this is very rare. Even if they were true, it would be meaningless to me in how I perceive these birds. Do we think less of the Bald Eagle because it kills to survive and robs nests. It's nature and how nature works. Were the only animal that kills for fun, and even our own species. If it was the state bird, this development plan would face more opposition.

So they may not be the state bird, but they are in great danger from development and on the endangered list. The complex NASA is proposing would cost more than half a billion dollars to build, and would take a toll on fragile wildlife and wetlands in the refuge and surrounding area. And it could close down some of the choice spots for bird-watching, kayaking, fishing and beach combing.

"There are just a lot of unknowns," said Dorn Whitmore, supervising ranger at the refuge. "It could close most of the refuge to visitors. Half of Mosquito Lagoon could be closed all or part of the time, and parts of Playalinda Beach could be shut down."

“About 500 families of endangered scrub-jays and other wildlife such as bald eagles, gopher tortoises and marsh rabbits also could be threatened and their habitat destroyed,” Whitmore said.

Because of the concerns, NASA is meeting with residents during four public hearings in Titusville New Smyrna Beach this week.

"We're looking for issues, concerns and information that would help us," said Mario Busacca, the director of planning and special projects in the Environmental Program Office at KSC.

"But if people come expecting answers to all their questions, they will be disappointed."

NASA officials said the idea of a private launchpad is in its infancy.

2008-02-22T10:59:00.001-08:00

Blue has done this dance for me solely, until yesterday when he suddenly did it for Katie. Blue has been with me since he was only a few hours or maybe a day old. So I always assumed it was because he thought I was his father or something. We have a great bond. I know its a sign of affection, most likely used as a mating dance in the wild. However for the last two and a half years, Katie has been the real hero in the house. She tends to the cages and spoils Blue silly with every conceivable nut and vegetable available in the western hemisphere. So I was very happy when he did the dance for her. I did film it but you will have to wait for the documentary to see that part. Until then, here is Blue dancing for me, just as he did for Katie.

I would like to thank Professor Clayton from the UK. He is studying the memory and capabilities of Scrub Jays and other related birds. He sent me a plethora of information on the current studies they have performed. I will make the PDF files available here soon. His work is fascinating and he has been more than helpful. I always knew they were smart and his work has only shown me they are even more intelligent in ways I was previously unaware.

Also we have a new poster, Andromeda who has sent in some very intelligent and thoughtful comments and some video that has proved to be very illuminating. Andromeda lives in Florida and is very knowledgeable about the Florida Scrub Jay. I look forward to hearing more and thank her for her time. The video shows activity in the wild Western Scrubs don't often do unless domesticated. I am learning more about the subtle and not so subtle differences.

FYI:
Although I do post videos to YouTube, due to the size restrictions I post many videos directly to my Blog. I can give you better quality videos without limitations. I will be posting a link list to all the videos hosted here with descriptions for easy access soon.

Over 130 Wild Buffalo Slaughtered in Yellowstone: up to 275 total wil be sent to slaughter

2008-02-22T10:34:00.001-08:00

Although this has little to do with Scrub Jays, it has everything to do with animal rights. This issue needs the most attention it can receive. This is absolutely deplorable. In this article you will find both video and audio links if you wish to become more informed on this issue. Click on the "Clipped From " link for the entire article. Warning, the video is very disturbing. I could barley watch it. If I had the money I would go and join with protesters as this is just so very wrong. If your unsure I ask you to watch the video and tell me why this is necessary. These animals have already been nearly wiped from the face of the earth once, and now we treat them like this! There is no reason that makes this OK. I don't care if the Buffalo were trampling tourists. (there not) They have more right to that land then we do.

Everyone who participated in this should be put in prison.

clipped from www.indybay.org

Over 130 Wild Buffalo Slaughtered in Yellowstone: up to 275 total wil be sent to slaughter

Over 130 wild buffalo have been slaughtered by the National Park Service in Yellowstone. They have captured a total of 275 and plan to slaughter all of them. George Cadman of Free Radio Santa Cruz 101.1 FM spoke with Stephany Seay of the Buffalo Field Campaign about the real reasons behind the slaughter, what they are doing to fight this and how people can get involved.

audio:
hugeslaughterofwildbuffaloinyellowstone.mp3
MP3 at 7.6 MB

Since Friday, February 8, 169 American bison (or buffalo) have been captured from within Yellowstone National Park. The National Park Service, under pressure from Montana's livestock industry, has been running the capture operations at the Stephens Creek bison trap located inside Yellowstone's boundaries.

View video of Yellowstone bison in the Stephens Creek Capture Facility: http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/media/videoaudio/Gardiner2004.mov

2008-02-21T23:18:00.000-08:00

Things have been interesting and busy here. With Spring on the way, new birds are showing up at the feeder, including two new Scrub Jays. Blue perks up when he sees them each morning. Blue also enjoys watching the other birds at the feeder, and their songs. The feeders are right behind his cage. Blue has been hiding more nuts and singing and dancing more as spring approaches.

Filming of the Documentary has begun. Beth has been great to work with and I look forward to working with her on this project.

Today it was raining. I decided to take a walk on the beach while it was drizzling. It amazes me how the birds love the rain. They play in it, bath in it and they bask in it. To birds rain is rain and sun is sun, and my guess is they are both equal in beauty.

I am busy filming Blues many antics on a professional camera. I shot this with a small hand held.
Seabright Beach is wonderful and one of the most polluted beaches we have. Normally the signs say not even to touch the water. Yet the birds bath, drink and eat from this water. Closed waters due to pollution is ramped in the United States. Its sad that our beaches are so polluted , we cant even swim in them.

Houston we have a problem.

Crash returns! Better, Faster Stronger.

2008-02-09T13:31:00.000-08:00

Last Tuesday (Super Tuesday) Katie brought a sick bird to the Native Animal Rescue Center here in Santa Cruz. This center is by far the best I have seen. Run completely from donation boxes, they are a full service hospital for native birds. They do not take sea birds.

On Super Tuesday I was super sick with the flu. Crash, a small Brewers Blackbird was taking refuge on our porch. He was blind, but could fly. I thought he may have crashed, thus his name, Crash Helmet Lou.

As the post below describes, Katie my girlfriend carefully packed up Crash and took him to the rescuer center. He was already eating ad drinking when she dropped him off. So we had high hopes for his survival. Video in the post below this one shows his health status compared to the pictures here. There is a vast difference thanks to the folks at Native Animal Rescue.

Today I looked out on the porch and who did I see but Crash! I could tell it was him by his face, and his mannerisms despite the fact the 50 of these birds come each morning. He likes to sit right in the middle of the bowl. He was back and looking much better. Still a bit slower than the other birds, but his color had returned, his eyes open and no longer sunken. He could see. His Color was back. He was able to battle for his rightful turn at the feeder.

Although we were 99.9% sure it was Crash, we called just to make sure. We were right. Crash had been released 24 hours prior.

It ends up we named him aptly. He had hit his head, likely hitting a window in a mid flight crash.
He was given steroids to stop the swelling in his brain and released when he could see and fly just a few days later.

Crash found his way back, after a severe head injury, from 3 miles away. Having had encephalitis myself, which is swelling of the brain. I can tell you that it took me three years to read again or remember much, let alone navigate my way home from the hospital.

Here are some photos. Some are a bit fuzzy as I had to shot from inside through the screen and glass. But you can see, Crash is much better. He seems to like hanging out on the porch all day now, and is unafraid of us. These birds are normally easily spooked, although there is always one or two in a bunch that will be less scared of humans. I think Crash will be using the deck for a long time. A new companion bird. Native birds are important. Find the number to your local animal rescue centers now, so you have the number when you need it.

A Scrub Jay also ventured into the yard today. H returned a few times and brought his mate. Blue was very excited. I hope they continue to come back.

The rescue of Crash Helmet Lou

2008-02-06T12:19:00.000-08:00

Above is Blue flying to land on my head, at 6:30am, before I had a sip of Coffee. He is a chipper bird in the morning as soon as he wakes.

Katie and I have both had the flu and its been a rough week. Blue is always there to cheer us up though, particularly when I am ill. H seems to notice and becomes more playful and attentive to me instead of demanding he be the center of the universe. I gladdy let him have the role of being the center of everything in the house in the Winter, when he can fly, but remains inside.

The Movie is still a go and we are starting some filming next week!

The other day a young sickly Black Bird took refuge on our porch where they feed and bath. The first day he seemed just a little slow, and very friendly. By the second day I knew he was sick. He was unafraid and took water and food by hand with ease. But I can't bring a sick bird into the house. They can infect the other birds.

Katie was the real hero as I was unable to drive, being at the height of my flu. She boxed up the bird and took it to a very busy, unadvertised rescue center that is nothing less than amazing. Run by donations only, it looks like a house from the outside. Once inside you see it is a full blown sterile hospital for native non sea bird rescues. They were glad to take Crash and if he regains his sight will be released here.

We named him Crash Helmet Lou, as he is blind but can fly, although not well. He is eating and drinking and will recover thanks to Kate having the will to go despite her also having the Flu.

Below is a short movie of Crash, Blue, and a glimpse into our super Tuesday. Yes I did vote, not saying for who. Thanks to the volunteers, voting was easy, quick and close by.

Blue has started some new things. When he sings to himself or for me, he sometimes lets me join in with him. I bob my head up and down with him while we both whistle songs to each other. I think he knows I am not as good as him, but he puts up with my lack of bird songs anyway.

Much more to come as I have lots of new equipment as I ready for the Spring. New improved diets and rescue suggestions will be updated soon. Better photos and video as I have new cameras.

For those that are not aware, this site turns into a rescue information center for Scrub Jays in distress in California during the spring. I try and explain to people that you can't keep a young Scrub and feed it every 30 min as the need as baby's without it bonding to you, and after that it can never be released. It is a 12-20 year commitment to keep such a bird and they need lots of attention, love and care daily. So we have found and discovered new ways to get these birds back to their parents quickly or released if not injured badly. One thing we learned is there are exceptions to all the rules.

The Florida Scrub Jay is endangered and it's a crime to keep one. If you find one in Florida and its in need of a rescue you must call animal rescue. It is also their state bird, although a sub species to the Western Scrub, they are in essence the same bird. We simply have the trees and forests to keep a healthy population. If a rescue center like the one I described existed when I found Blue, I would have given him up so he could be released. At that time no such agency existed. The ones that did told me to let him die. He was only a day or two old.

Food for thought -- A Scrub Jay can remember where he hid a nut a full year ago, and they hide on average 89,000 nuts a year. I can't remember where my keys are. They are also a great contributer to reforestation.

Here is the latest. Watch this in full screen, it's in DVD quality.

Blues Afternoon, song, dance, food , stretches, yawns and bedtime

2008-01-23T20:06:00.000-08:00

This is a video showing Blue's afternoon near the end of the day. After his morning with Katie, he spends 2 hours hiding nuts and checking his cache of stolen coins, keys, and nuts. He hides everything twice, always in full view of Katie and I. So who he hides them from -- I don't think either of us know. Perhaps it's still just instinct. Blue also rearranges his cache. He pounds his nuts into his tray and arranges everything to his liking. His many hiding spots include on top of the fridge, which is sort of a drag, but he is a free bird. So we clean it daily as we do his cage and fan and his other favorite places. Blue also hides nuts and arranges his goods in his cage too.

Blue does a song and dance when he is feeling affectionate. Often when I bring him a treat he will first do the song and dance without my hand signals. In this video I use my fingers to trigger the dance as well as the treat in my hand. He isn't begging, he is showing affection. He does this when there is no reward, often when I am sick or down, he will land on me and start singing and dancing. He does this only for me. Katie has a very strong bond with Blue, but because I fed him since a baby, I get some extra attention.

After that he takes a nap, he eats and heads to bed. He often puffs up and sits on one foot. S he does stretches and yawns. Sometimes he sleeps out of his cage and if he is really tired I can pick him up softly and carry him and he never wakes up.

Enjoy this -

Scrub Jays and time plus a new video!

2008-01-22T14:29:00.000-08:00

Although Blue, a California Scrub Jay is a very much domesticated he is also a free bird, in the sense that he has his own life, flies free most of the day and has his own territory and possessions, although most are stolen from me. :)

(FYI: The New Video is at the bottom of this post.)

He is dependent on me for both friendship love and care. He takes interest in anything I use, the remote, the telephone, a book, and my laptop where he sits on the top and watches me type. The other day he sang to the young bird doing the Sun trance at the post below as he watched the video. He also loves music and will land on me the minute I play my guitar. I think he enjoys the vibrations he feels through the neck where he sits.

The picture above is not Blue, but a Scrub from a lab where they are studying Scrub Jays and their unique ability to perceive time in a way traditional animals were thought unable. Some interesting articles on this and precognition in Scrubs are surfacing. This one on the perception of time can be found here. http://www.psychol.cam.ac.uk/ccl/Scrub_jays.html

"Scientists say scrub jays are not stuck in the present.

Mental time-travel, the ability to use memories of past experiences and plan for the future, has traditionally been considered a quality unique to humans. Now scientists at the University of Cambridge have identified the same ability in a bird - the Western scrub jay, [a US native]."

Although Florida Scrub Jays are considered a sub species, they act the same and look the same. Here is an interesting audio link to some talk about the memories of Scrub Jays being better then our own, and this has been tested. To download and listen to this 2 minute audio file, Click Here.
You can also visit the site at
http://www.earthsky.org/teachers/article/scrub-jay

Blue in the morning wakes up and spends two hours with Katie as she goes through her morning routine. He helps with the feeding of the other birds and sits on her shoulder as she does her morning stuff. They play phone and basket ball until she leaves for work. I let Blue sort of do his own thing for a bit. This is a normal hour of his antics during that alone time condensed. I am in the room but he just does his thing. Latter he will mellow, sit with me, follow me from room to room , sing and dance for me and let me know if he needs anything. When I first arise in the morning, he gets very happy and emits a small peep, which he only does when he is happy to see me and only for me.

Blue needs and gets 5-6 hours of solid attention each day. That is why I try to explain to folks who find these birds in distress what kind of commitment they are getting into should they try and keep the bird. The bond so fast, they cannot be released after just a few days of seeing you as their feeder. Rescue centers who have the time and ability to release these birds, have to keep the young ones in a box. Wearing gloves and a mask, they will feed the birds quickly and shut the door. These are not Scrubs but it works the same. They not only bond, but get their vocal sounds from you and your sent. So when sent free, one they will return if they survive, and two they sound and small wrong and will not be accepted by the Scrub Jay community.
See very short video.

Small Scrubs eat every half an hour and get their water from their food. This was not an option for me. Blue is nearly ten. He has adjusted very well and I have tried my best to give him a happy and healthy life. When I found Blue I had to carry him with me everywhere I went to feed him every 30 minutes for 3 months. He was the same age as the birds in the video being fed. Luckily they sleep throughout the night without the need of food and water.
Enjoy the Video! Send in your own stories of your birds, pictures and videos. I am interested in people who have had their lives altered in a good way due to the relationships they have formed with birds. Those that befriend wild birds, which happens allot can have profound experiences. In the post below at the end, is a short video of a young scrub doing the Sun trance. This is the first video that I know of , showing a wild scrub doing this. The reason, they only do it if they feel VERY safe. If you have the patience you can get to have a very rewarding relationship with a wild Scrub. Peanuts are pivotal to this relationship. Please get raw peanuts, from a pet store. I have several Scrubs that visit, and one will land on me and let me hand him nuts. Blues mother and father were my friends before they lost their nest to the attack of the Crows. They went on to have 3 birds the next year choosing a better tree.

Blue talks to be in small krk krk. If I am in another room and he does not know where I am he will squawk, but when I answer, he replies back with a few krk krk krk's to say, "'I'm ok your ok."

Since I am disabled I am home a great deal. Having a best friend here all the time is the best medicine I have ever received.

Is Blue going to Hollywood?

2008-01-18T01:20:00.000-08:00

Is Blue going to Hollywood?

The unbelievable has happened. Blue is going to Hollywood! Ok, ok, well not exactly but stick with me. This is exciting! Blue is going to be in a documentary.

I have met a lot of people through this site documenting Blue and sometimes my own life. above is Blue playing today. If you start at the beginning of my posts, you will find that in truth, Blue saved me. When I found Blue I was at the lowest point in my life, and was not that interested in continuing. I was trying to recover from severe brain trauma caused from encephalitis and chronic pain from a severe back injury requiring surgery and two titanium implants. I lost everything, my business, my house, my wife, my car, and everything that did not fit in a suitcase. When i found Blue after Crows had killed all of his siblings, he was fresh out of the egg. The most and fragile creature I have every seen.

I tried to save Blue so he could be released but because these birds are numerous here, although that is not true all over the U.S. -- no agency would take him.

I had only hours to figure out how to care for him. Young birds eat every half an hour.

It was a birder in Florida where the Scrub Jays are endangered that told me exactly what to do. Because of his help, I learned I had a big job on my hands and also how to care for my young friend. I had a 12-20 year commitment. I was determined to keep Blue alive and thus myself. I remember telling myself if I could keep this sick tiny bird alive, I could keep myself alive.

I recovered, at least I am MUCH better. I am very lucky and very grateful.

Blue has become very much my closest friend. He still learns at age 10. He is protective even of the other small birds we have. He is devoted like a dog , he continues to learn unlike an older dog. He is feisty, serene, playful, a show off, an acrobat, very much needs attention. He likes to be involved in everything I do and finds great interest in everything around him. Blue has his own possessions and he knows it. Above is Sophia and Blue loves and protect Sophia and the other birds here.

But the news I want to tell you is

. There is going to be a documentary of Blue and our relationship! Were still in the very beginning stages but it I have been told I can announce it will happen.

Beth Cataldo found me and Blue on this site. She sent me her first film which was very impressive, and asked me if I was interested in her doing a film on Blue and a chronicling of our relationship. The Movie came and was very good, enough to make me really really nervous. I am very appreciative that Beth wants to do this. Check out her first Movie! Its very good. Watch the trailer!

Ray Bandar: A Life with Skulls

Buy the DVD It is worth it!

He’s been called Dr. Bones and Reptile Ray. Usually dressed in tattered “field-trip” clothes, Ray Bandar has been a fixture at the California Academy of Sciences and the beaches around the Bay Area for more than 50 years. “A Life with Skulls” captures Ray’s obsession for collecting skulls from local beaches, road kill, zoo animals and on field trips to Mexico, Australia and in the United States. This humorous movie investigates Bandar’s history as a skull collector, showing many of the thousands of skulls he has accumulated over the years, talking to Alkmene, his resilient wife, and touring the awe-inspiring Bone Palace.

"A Life with Skulls" is an inspiring look at a man who has a special tie to the natural world. You will be motivated to go out and explore it for yourself.

DVD include extras, including:

Ray collecting a Harbor Porpoise skull
Tour of the Bone Palace
Photo gallery of historic images of Ray’s house full of skulls
Stories about the skulls in the exhibit
Ray's first-person adventure stories
Cost: $15 plus postage. Email Beth@hummingbirdmultimedia.com

I watched the movie and it was very good. Ray is a devoted unique man whose work is pivotal to the understanding and the the evolution of Sea Mammals. How they died, how they evolve, how climate change effects them, it is all in the skull.

Beth is interested in relationships between animals and people, so I think she has come to the right apartment. She is coming to meet Blue and I on Monday. I look forward to the slow march forward. Blue seems interested too as he is up late and standing on my... skull.

This site and the people who shared their stories during the spring and summer helped save, release, and rescue many birds. A small few kept their bids when there was no alternative. I have many pictures but those of you still around, send in more. I am not sure how much of the movie if any will be about the site, but because we really did save many birds, I am sure it will have its place.

So a few photos could never hurt. I have some new ones I need to post. I will and thanks to everyone for sending them. I can always use more photos, video, and updates on how your bird is doing, or even better how you released it successfully.

These birds get attached, they bond in just a few days. In order to feed and release it, it can't see you, smell you, or it will not leave. You open the door feed it with gloves and shut it.

Thats how release centers do it. There is a small video clip of that here.

Most rescues are just stunned and quickly recover. One thing we learned, with these birds almost anything is possible. I know people who have a sort of shared custody where the bird leaves in the day and comes back in the afternoon, but it is free. Another couple built a protective housing around the fallen bird. The parents came and fed it. When it was healthy enough to fly, they released it to its happy parents. That was creative. I have been your student.

Blue is doing great and flying like he is a youngster. A new video camera coming soon will provide better video of Blue and some of the many new things he has learned will be posted! He has recovered from being bind in one eye. Considering his age and that

having cataract is the only time he needed a vet, Blue is one healthy bird, but more important he is truly happy which is the promise I made him.

Update: I received the following e-mail, video and, great photos I wanted to share from Lorcan who has been active on this site for a long time and has been touched by is birds in much the same way.

"I finally witnessed one of the jays doing the sun trance while lying on the bookshelf by my window today. I was amazed to watch it. Cheeky lay down three times to do it. What a treat it was. I took this video and posted it on YouTube taking the liberty to use your description of it. I also got these wonderful shots of a Red-shouldered Hawk late this evening outside Strybing Botanical Gardens.

I just read your news about the documentary to be produced about you and Blue. I myself feel that Cheeky & Shy gave me strength to get through some tough times too so I can really relate and I hope all goes great with the film. I would love to see it when it is ready."

A morning at the beach

2007-12-07T11:07:00.000-08:00

I shot this at Seabright Beach, a place Blue's loves to go in the summer when his wings are clipped.

The lake behind the beach brings in many rare birds. I found a great While Egret with its baby on this beautiful morning. Enjoy!

The telephone

2007-12-04T18:07:00.000-08:00

Blue has been fascinated by the telephone, both cell and manual since he was able to fly. His first trill he learned from the phone. He now has taught himself which button on the answering machine to push to listen to messages. That will be my next post. He loves to listen to the voices. He also is interested in anything he sees us use often. If it makes noise or has buttons, he enjoys it all the more, like the remote control on the TV.

This was his first cell phone experience. He was able to push 225 and send, which is the number on my cell that tells me my balance.

Blue is doing great. An easy food for both babies and adults is pure liquefied vegetables, baby food. Carrots, yams, this is a great way to make sure they get their veggies and not just nuts. He also enjoys being catered to and hand fed. Blue is out most all of the day since I am home often working. He always makes sure he knows where I am and follows me around the house from room to room. Although he takes a great deal of affection, he also gives a great deal of it.

Since the video is short its in high quality it works well in full screen mode.

Enjoy!

Back by request - Blue Plays Ball!

2007-11-28T08:41:00.000-08:00

Blue now plays this game daily. This video is us teaching him, his first time playing with them. He now hits them in order, by color. We play each morning. Enjoy!

Looking Out Blues Window

2007-11-25T13:16:00.000-08:00

NUTS - Blue Going Nuts

2007-11-18T16:14:00.000-08:00

This is a video of Blues average first few hours. He eats and then attends his nuts as the birds outside battle at the feeder. I am not feeling great as I have been ill, so my guitar playing in the background is me freestyle playing.

Notice how Blue hides and re-hides nuts, and even checks and throws some out. Blue even arranges the nuts in his feeding dish. The birds at the feeding dish is Blues view. Today one of our finches got loose, flew right to Blue who protected her...

NUTS

Blue is back!

2007-11-17T18:05:00.001-08:00

Hi Folks,

It’s been a long time since I have posted. Illness and other things have prevented me from spending the time to post that I normally do. Also its fall and the rescue e-mails have ended. We, by sharing information saved 80 birds last year, with only 2 deaths. Taking in a rescue that cannot be released is a big decision. These animals take allot of attention. There is information here is you find a Scrub Jay, and animal rescue wont help. The emergency diets are meant for baby birds.

Blue is doing great. His flight feathers have fully returned and he flies from room to room with ease again, despite being blind in one eye. I have been very ill and at home a great deal. He sticks to me like glue. Sometimes he gets so excited when I bring him a treat or something and he starts this song and dance that he normally does to hand signals. Here is the latest. I am working on a video of his nut hiding capabilities. You might notice Blue's beak is a little too long. I normally wait to trim it to see if he will take care of it himself. In his youth he would. I trimmed it today and he still sang 5 minutes later. He also got a good nail trim. He is used to this and even invites the attention. Blue is now ten + years old and I have had him since he was one or two days old.

Blue knows when I am sad or ill; he knows when I need to be left alone. He knows when I am in pain. His displays of empathy are amazing. This is from today when I went to give him half a grape. He broke into dance. I also used my hand signals. He is finally getting used to the camera, which he did not like before. Enjoy this short clip; the end is him doing his sun trance bath. There is extensive video in older posts of this fascinating scene. Blue loves the fan which stays off, but he falls asleep on it and has learned to make it spin, also in video to come.

The Dance is a show of affection, a mixture of what they do in the wild and he is also imitating sounds I make to him. Sometimes I can make him dance by making a clicking sound with my mouth.

Attack of the Copper Hawk

2007-08-31T15:54:00.000-07:00

Attack of the Copper Hawk

Yesterday I was on the phone while Blue was resting quietly in his cage. As fall approaches, new birds have appeared at the feeder. This morning we finally started to get Scrub Jays again. Since we moved only a block away, we have had none all summer despite using every known trick to attract them. We have been blessed with many other types of birds we have never seen before.

As I was talking to my sister, I heard a loud “bang!” and Blue started shrieking his call of distress and fear. I looked up and it took a moment to focus on the mammoth bird now attached to my screen, wings spread, a giant Cooper Hawk. He saw the other birds, spotted Blue, and went in for the kill. Of course, the thick glass window stopped him. However, he clung for a moment. I am sure the knock surprised him too. Blue was shrieking and I dropped the phone. My instinct was to go or the camera, but Blue was very upset. He could have injured himself if I did not get him out of his cage. The Copper Hawk took a full minute to rest on the porch, perched proudly on the side rail of our balcony. Then he flew off to better hunting grounds.

Blue was frightened to death. He clung to me all day. I had to block his view of the outside to be able to allow him back in his cage. This worked and he began to play and act normal. The return of the Scrub Jays this morning also brightened his spirits. He loves to hide peanuts while they hide theirs.

Blue is flying again. He now flies all over the house and we set up places he can easily roost and hide peanuts. They always like to be higher then everyone else. We only let him fly when we are home and fans and stoves are off.

Hawks do not frequent this area, but I have to admit. I have been too nervous to take him out for his sunbath. I can just imagine a hawk seeing him in such a venerable state and plucking him from me as I watched helplessly. I will wait a few days to make sure this hawk does not return. They are known to be very ballsy and sometimes stubborn.

My sister has an aviary outside. It’s huge and contains Cockatiels. Made of wood and heavy metal screening, the hawk could not get inside. However, he tried for weeks until my sister covered the aviary until the Hawk gave up. It did injure one bird that recovered.

This was in an area that is prime hunting ground for hawks. Yet this Hawk opted to stay for a week and spend nearly all day studying the aviary.

Garden Party

2007-08-13T17:41:00.001-07:00

Today I caught Blue singing softly to a young wild House Finch. He enjoys watching the other bird battle over food, and bask in the sun. From Starlings to Canaries, we get many birds to the feeder, but the Red Wing Black Birds rule the whole area like a gang. Watch how the young Starling stands up to the larger Red Wing and wins!

The dove you will see may look injured. I assure you its not. It is sunbathing, much as Blue does without the trance like state. The red wings push around the doves, but they find times where they can rule the garden too.

The Song is called Struggle and was by my old Band WildRose. I am singing backup and playing lead and rhythm guitar. Enjoy!

Blue a rescued Scrub Jay doing rarley seen Sun Trance

2007-08-03T10:11:00.001-07:00

This is some of the best footage of Blue doing the sun trance. Its natural and how they get the sun to their feathers. Rarely seen in the wild, Blue does this daily. Sometimes he outspreads his wings, but on this day decided to plop down and puff up.

Scrub Jay Blue does amazing song and dance

2007-07-19T19:32:00.001-07:00

In the wild this is a mating dance. Blue mimics some of the whistles I make, and does this to hand signals. Often, he will open his wings and dance.

Were on Vacation!!

2007-07-19T17:05:00.000-07:00

For those of you who frequent my site or for those who have found a Scrub Jay in need of a rescue, I will be unavailable to answer questions until July 24th. I am taking a small vacation. Speaking of vacations, what do you do with a Scrub Jay when you want to take a vacation?

This is tricky. Often they are not comfortable with new people. If you have a friend who knows your bird, and they can come once a day and play and care for the bird, you have a good friend. In my case, all my friends are leaving this same weekend. But, we were lucky to find a co-worker and friend of Katie's who Blue took to immediately. This will make my vacation a real vacation where I do not have to be concerned for Blue.

I would like to apologize to a few people who have emailed me that I failed to respond to. I have become ill, and for the last month unable to do much. I am hoping the relaxing in the woods and on the beach will help relax me as I recover.

For all you Scrub Jay fanatics (like me) more studies on the inteligance of Scrub Jays continues, even into precognition, which I have wittneesed. Blue knows when my girlf friend is going to come home ten minutes before she arrives, even at differant times and days. I have videoed his behavior prior to my girlfirend getting in her car, a ten minute drive. He gets overly excited and starts hoping all over. Then he hears her car and does his "Happy Trill" Scrubs have been elevated in their status of inteligence, being one of the most inteligent birds there are. This includes Crows and Ravens which are all in the same family.

I have seen Blue show empathy, sadness, joy, he knows when I am sick and when I am feeling good. Blue is getting old, but unlike dogs he can learn a new trick in only a few minutes and remember it.

For those whos birds are reaching maturity. Its good to find a place up high in your house where the bird can roost. They want to be highere then everyone else. If you do this, your bird will be content to sit high above everyone for hours. Give him some hiding places and peanuts and shinny SAFE objects, and he will be a happy bird.

The Mistakes I have made.

2007-06-21T08:39:00.000-07:00

The mistakes I have made

I have had Blue nearly nine years. During that time, I have made my share of mistakes. I would like to share a few of them with you so maybe , you will not do what I did.

The first mistake I made was when he was just about one year old. I had to move and took him outside in a travel cage to take him to the new pad. I tripped, and accident but I should have been more careful. The cage fell apart.

Blue flew immediately, startled by his new huge flying area, he crashed in the bushes. He then flew as I ran to him up into a tree with 50 Scrubs in it. My heart was pounding. I could not tell who was who. Suddenly they all turned on him, he smelled and talked wrong. With all the commotion, I could see very little, and suddenly, all the birds flew off in an instant -- Blue was gone.

I was devastated but told myself I would stay there until he came back. I looked around and found him hiding near me in a covered garage. When he saw me, he flew into my chest. Home at last. His little heart pounded in my hand. He was happy to be home, and never few away outside again, despite one more cage drop, a year later in yet another move. I have a horrible back, and it gives out at times that are not always good timing.

The next mistake I made was doing the dishes with Blue on my shoulder. A noise startled him and he landed in the soapy water, he was ok, but cold and I had to use a blow dryer on low to fix him up. Had the water been hotter, he would have been seriously injured. Had it been a hot stove or a fan, things would have been much worse.

One whopper mistake was over clipping his wings. It was my first time. I did it because his sight in one eye was getting worse, and he wanted to hang out with me more then he wanted to fly. This part was true, and worked. However, because I did not learn enough on the proper cutting of flight feathers, I over cut his wings. This caused several long-term problems. One, it took away his flight for a year instead of a few months. The ramification was over growth of other feathers, causing him to be itchy and scratch as the new feathers grew. It also changed his personality, he was more nervous with his eyesight now gone in one eye. He is finally over this. Blue can fly again. However, I caused him much stress, and had I simply asked better questions or had someone else do it, this would have never happened.

I am sure I have made many other mistakes, were all-human.

I know the few people who kept birds this year are in one of the best and hardest times of your companion’s life. The bird needs and wants to fly, it is weaning of liquid food, and you are trying to figure out how to work it all. My advice is to let your bird fly as much as you can, at least three hours a day, inside. Never take him outside unless his wings are cut. Make up games to play, pick the quarter out of your hand in flight. Give the bird stuff to shred up that will not hurt him. Give him shinny treats to hide. Make places in his environment to hide nuts and other treasures. I will do a video post on clipping flight feathers soon, its only three feathers, and you do not clip much.

Birds like to be in the highest place in the room. If your birds will not settle down, try giving him a perch far above everything else in the house. They love to sit proudly higher then the rest of us.

Moreover, remember, we all make mistakes, and we can only keep our promise to try our best. If it ends up you cannot provide the type of care you thought you could, its time to think of taking the birds to and agency. I do not say this lightly, but it happens and can be necessary. If things are getting hard, hang in there and experiment, these birds hate being bored. As a child who will plays with a cardboard box for hours, so will a Scrub given the right toys.

This Tree Blue is in is outside, but an inside tree makes a great place for your bird to hang out, just make sure its a safe tree.

I have learned a great deal from al off your emails and comments. Thanks to you all who have contributed your stories.

Tim Rumford

Let the Scrub Jay games begin!

2007-06-19T22:50:00.001-07:00

This video shows Blue playing ball. This has now become his favorite pass time. That was his training and in two days, he has learned to hit each ball in order, and then he gets them back. He also plays with them by himself, which is great when no one is home. He is even learning their colors, which surprised me, you can teach an old Jay a new trick.

Pictures needed for study by the University of Nebraska

2007-06-11T09:18:00.000-07:00

Stephen Vantassel, Project Coordinator, at Univ. of Nebraska, Lincoln School of Natural Resources answered some questions I had about the legality of killing scrub jays when they are damaging crops. I will be posting this information later as I learn more about the specific laws in California. He has requested any photographs of Scrub Jays, in high def, at differing stages of life.

All of you have sent me many great photos, but I am asking those who have Scrubs, or even see them in their backyard to send me photographs in digital format, at the highest quality your camera will take.

This is important to their research in many ways, but most important is finding non-lethal ways of keeping them from destroying certain crops. I ask all of you please try to help. Any pictures in high definition will be greatly appreciated by the University and me. They must be 3 mega pixels or more. Please let me know if I have permission to post these photos here as well. I will respect anyone who does not wish their photography to be posted, but will forward the pictures to the University.

This is a chance for us Scrub Jay lovers to help this species in a larger way then this blog has in the past. Lets get to work!

New features and information - diets and tips for what to do when you find Scrub Jay in need of a rescue

2007-06-08T22:04:00.000-07:00

With summer upon us, many people are writing in for advice, all with different birds in different stages – all with different issues. We have helped 80 people with birds. I say we, because I learn from all of you too.

This is our latest rescue sent in from Andrew Knight. He will make a great caretaker and companion for his new friend who would not survive if released where he lives.

All the rescues have been Scrub Jays, accept Nessa. She has an incredible ability to find Scrubs and Crows covered in a mystery oil. She cleans them and saves them along with other birds in need of help.

For those that do not know, they are the in the same species as the Crow.

There is a permanent link on the top right of the blog, a post on what to do if you find a Scrub Jay in need of rescue. I will be adding quick tips there for people who just found a bird. Part of the post talks of making the right decision on keeping the bird or not. Most of the time its better to let them go back to their parents -- however, this is not always possible. Some rescue agencies will not take them. They cannot be kept long and still be released. Although one thing we have learned, there are exceptions to every rule. People have e-mailed who have a partial custody arrangement. The bird comes back at night to feed, sleep, and then back out with its original family during the day. One boy has had a Scrub Jay he rescued that flies free all the time and comes and goes at it pleases, but spends most of its time with him. I know of a Crow that has become very close to an Autistic child. This shows how social and smart these birds truly are.

The first thing when you get bird in trouble is determine if its injured, it may only be stunned and be fine in minutes. Put it in a dim lit box, padded with soft cloth or cotton.

They need to eat as babies every thirty minutes during the day. They sleep all night. The get all water from food until they can eat non-liquefied food.

Emergency diet ( Cant get to store in time)

Water

Dry Cat Food

Hard Boiled Egg Yolk

Mix and liquefy. Feed with a feeder or small spoon if necessary.

A good diet –

Mix and liquefy the following as directed below

Water

Exact

Dry Cat Food

Hard Boiled Egg Yolk

Mealworms

Boiled carrots, very soft

Mix the product EXACT with crushed up dry cat food. 70% exact 15% % cat food; add 15% egg yolk, hard-boiled. . Crush the cat food up very fine. Use good cat food, no fancy flavored moist treats -- regular cat food. Add water until it is like watery oatmeal.

You can also add

Crushed up meal worms

Boiled carrots, very soft

As the bird matures, they will start to be able to eat tidbits of all the above ingredients. Start with mealworms or egg yolk as a good natural food when he or she is old enough. They will drink regular water as soon as they are old enough to eat non-liquefied food.

It is very important to keep a very constant and steady diet. It is like feeding a baby; they will let you know when they are hungry. They will stop when they are done. You are more likely to underfeed a baby then over feed it, which in Blue’s case, was not possible.

If you need more info or help with any Scrub Jay feel free to e-mail me, but I appreciate posts so everyone can learn. I am glad that Blue’s life has helped save so many other rescues. Most all have been released. The few that could not, have great responsible companions and caretakers. A few went to wildlife rescue centers. A few died, one in my hand, hit by a car it had a punctured lung. You are the people who care enough to seek out information instead of going it alone. Someone helped me when I found Blue, or he surly would have died. I am also posting some quick emergency tips and diets on the right side soon for quick access.

Today is your Birthday Nessa! A tribute to the queen of the birds – 6-04-07

2007-06-04T14:11:00.000-07:00

Today is Nessa’s Birthday. Nessa has been writing me for sometime. I call her the queen of the birds, because she is always saving them. Nessa now defender of distressed birds has rescued and released many, even a few Crows. Out of the hundreds of e-mails received from people wanting or sharing information about a rescued bird, Nessa has been my favorite. One reason, she is very rational and has made all the right choices when deciding to keep or release a bird.

Her first rescue was a small Scrub Jay. It was injured. She could not release it, but also was concerned for its injury. She learned about taking care of such a bird, and what it would entail. She then decided to get it some professional help, despite knowing they may take the bird away from her. Instead, because the bird would not likely ever be able to be released, they must have seen her as a good caretaker. They are allowing her to keep it after it heals up.

During her wait for her new companion, she has saved more birds then I can count, releasing all of them safely. Many covered in oil, a few were Crows. Unable to find the source of the oil, she managed to wash the birds, and release them back to their families once healed. Washing wild oil covered crows, even a baby is no easy task, and she did it many times.

I would like to wish Nessa a very Happy Birthday and thank her for saving so many birds in such a responsible manor. She truly is the queen of the birds to me. In addition, Nessa is a very talented artist who never ceases to surprise me.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NESSA! WE APPRECIATE YOU!

Here is Nessa’s young Scrub Jay, which will be returned to her care very soon.

Save Schwan Lake!

2007-06-04T12:45:00.000-07:00

Today this post is a little off topic but, I know Blue would approve. I live nearby two lakes that have a plethora of sea and lake birds, from Cormorants to Herons, they come and live in these environments. The lake is beautiful, but so contaminated, signs say not to even touch it. I videoed some of the nesting birds and surrounding struggling sea life. We also are having many dead birds wash ashore from starvation, said to be caused from a lack of the Algae they eat from warmer water temperatures. We also have too much of what they are calling Acid Algae. Its natural, but there is too much of it, it burns off the faces of sea lions. The pup in this video may seem cute, but he is stuck in the hot sun, while his mother is dying in the water.

I have written many state and local ecologists trying to find out the nature of the contamination , and what can be done about this lake.
I am altering this document. I was directing people to contact a county supervisor.
Although Supervisor Jan Beautz is not in charge of the lake, it is a county owned lake and within her district. Putting pressure on her is a good place to start. But I have learned much more sine then.

There is a detailed country document on this and other surrounding lakes. It explains where the contamination is coming from and what steps the county is taking. I do feel that this lake is getting less attention, but until I learn more people should return here, to get a full status on the lake as I learn more.

You can find learn allot by clicking here and reading this in depth report.

I will be adding other people to write your concerns to about this issue as I learn more about the real issues that have caused a lake to be so toxic, I can't touch it. I will write an update post soon.

Much of the contamination if from the birds themselves, mostly geese fecal mater. The rest is runoff and mass sewage spills. I was awe struck by the amount of spills we have had. its all in the report. Something must be able to be done though. The County is using some money to upgrade sewage lines and runoff areas.

I found Scub Jay what do I do? by Tim Rumford

2007-05-20T20:13:00.000-07:00

If you find a bird and want some advice -- please post it as a question here, so everyone can learn and teach along the way. You do not need to be a member of Blogspot to post comments.

I want to thank everyone for the many e-mails I have received. With spring upon us, many people are writing in asking for information on what to do with a Scrub Jay after they have rescued one. When I found Blue, he was only a day old. Age is important in deciding what you should do, and what to decide.

I will be posting a diet for different aged birds that will be available as a permanent link soon.

First off, people need to know that if a bird can fly and it is just stunned. Keep it in a dark padded box for ten minutes. They almost allays wake up and fly away unharmed. If the bird can fly and has only minor injuries, do not associate with it on a social level as much as possible as it heals. Do not even let it see you if you can. Do not talk to it until you know if your keeping this bird. Wear gloves when feeding it. They imprint and bond to people at very quickly. They cannot be released once in your care for long. They will smell and sound wrong and the other jays will kill it.

If the bird has any serious injuries, call animal rescue. In many cases, there are good local non-profits or collages with agencies that will take the bird. The have the knowledge and resources to care for it and release it.

In some cases, they will allow you to keep it after it has healed if they feel you will take care of it and it cannot be released. It is illegal in California to keep a Scrub Jay without permission. Although sometimes right is right, law or not.

Deciding to keep Scrub Jay or a Crow or any intelligent bird is something someone should not make in hast. Make sure your going to give it a happy life. A sad caged bird is the horrible site. You cannot just put food in its cage and leave for the day. These are extremely social birds. Scrub Jays are in the Crow family. To keep one means a possible 12-year or longer commitment of spending hours a day with your bird. Talking, feeding, cleaning up after it and just paying constant attention to your companion will be a part of daily life. Blue spent 6 hours out of his cage a day minimum. Two hours were spent just playing. If you work all day, you are probably not a good candidate for having a Scrub Jay. Passing it off to someone else after it thinks you are its parent is a gamble. It may not even survive. The trauma and stress alone could kill it.

However, sometimes strange things happen. One person who wrote in has a shared custody of sorts. They let the bird go after a few days of healing up, it flew to its family, and it returns every night to sleep and eat. They have good intentions and I think all will work out with this arrangement. Another person really took the time and made the perfect decision. She took it to a rescue agency and after the bird has healed, it will come home with her. She can visit daily to keep the bond going. She has the time and understands the responsibility.

I will be posting some pictures and video of these new pen pals of Blues. It will be interesting to see how their behavior differs.

I want to comprise a list of any rescue agency that accepts Scrub Jays in California and any information on their reputation. If you know of a good or bad agency please post it here.

Down to seeds and stems

2007-05-17T15:12:00.000-07:00

This is one the better videos of Blue and his environment and behavior, set to music by my old band Wild Rose. The song is "Down to Seeds and Stems" I am singing and playing guitar. Please let us know what you think. Comments are welcome and appreciated.

Adusted to his new pad, Blue does his amazing Song and Dance

2007-05-14T14:25:00.000-07:00

The video of his dance and song at the bottom of this post is a show of affection. He is also a showing off. Blue does this when he is very happy. Today I caught him flapping his wings like a baby, and softly singing to himself - content that the sun was shining into his cage. Blue comes in and out of his cage at will when we are home and alert. I learned years ago that wiggling my fingers or sometimes making a certain sound would trigger Blue into this song and dance. It starts with his head bobbing back and forth. He can be triggered by excitement too, like the presence of a tasty treat, it may trigger the dance, and he forgets all about the food. Bobbing can also be sign of stress, but Blue will never do this if he stressed in the least.

He loves to be touched, but more so when he dances. He does cuddle, even enjoys a kiss to his side, but he does not like people touching him unless he is unusually calm and happy as in this picture. It was right after his dance. He only does this dance for Katie and I. After a solid year of spending hours a day with Blue, he sings and dances for her too. Katie cares for Blue a great deal, both emotionally and physically. Each morning he rides around with her as she tends the cages and feeds everyone. Blue very much enjoys this time with her each morning. These birds are very much into a daily routine. She plays a huge role in his care and constant need for attention.

Blue is regaining his flight feathers now that his sight has been restored. He is testing the waters and getting braver as each day comes. There was a time when Blue could pick a dime from my hand without touching my fingers. Flying through the house with ease, he loved to hide my keys, shred my morning paper and be an acrobat. Blue is very jealous on inanimate objects. The phone, the keyboard, a book, anything that takes the attention off him -- he is constantly at battle with. Since I am disabled and work at home, Blue gets attention most of his waking hours.

Moving is stressful for birds too. E-mails pour in for advice.

2007-05-12T07:54:00.000-07:00

We recently moved, and once again, Blue had to readjust to a new environment. This is always hard on him. It took a full month for him to return to his old self. Now he loves his new place. Blue is getting his flight feathers back and soon will be flying again. I quickly realized moving was much harder on Blue then it was on us, and it was no picnic for anyone.

Blue became frightened for awhile of new noises, new lighting and just all the hustle and bustle of packing. He now enjoys this place immensely and certainly sucked all the extra attention he could get from us. We also have finches and canaries, it seemed as if they did not even notice the move. They do enjoy the extra sunlight we get here.
Blue also has friends. This is Stevie Ray Vaughn and Tina Turner. They often mimic Blue, bathing and grooming at the same time.

I have received a multitude of e-mails from people who have rescued Scrub Jays here in California. If you are in Florida, remember, they are nearly extinct and the state bird to boot. You must call animal rescue immediately.

I have always felt it is wrong to cage or domesticate any wild animal unless it cannot fend for himself and will die if you release him. Two of the people who e-mailed me were in that position. I will be posting video of a young bird feeding soon. Nessa took the time and made the right decision. She took her baby to animal rescue. They will give it back to her once it is healed up, as the bird cannot be released. She can visit and feed it everyday so it will still bond with her. It had a problem with one of its legs. I will be posting extensively on its journey from a baby to an adult with her help.

I will be posting some thing people should know and do when they find a bird in need of rescue. In the mean time, please e-mail me if you find yourself with a Scrub Jay in need of help.

Blue gets visitors

2007-04-14T10:04:00.000-07:00

Where we live we have an abundance of life that comes around. Blue has become friendly with another scrub jay we call Mama bird. Squirrels, raccoons, hawks, owls, skunks and a variety of birds all dwell near our house. The squirrels do amazing jumps from one tree to the other. Many Animals come into our small backyard for food. One Squirrel, learned quickly he could reach the seed bells for the birds. As you can see in the video, he has to reach far to grab the hanging bell of seeds. Right after I shot this, he fell as the bell broke free. He was fine, just a little scared and scampered off.

Brought back to the top by popular demand

2007-04-11T20:13:00.000-07:00

Blue - the Trance sunbathing with a bonus song and dance!

Wild Scrub Jay brings present of thanks?

2007-04-10T09:16:00.002-07:00

Another scrub jay has been visiting Blue and me for about six months. It took about a month to get this bird to take a peanut from my hand, then eventually off my head. She became comfortable enough to sit on me until she got two peanuts stuffed in her beak, which could take some time. Often she would just sit and watch me. During the winter she came every day, always in the morning and then often in the evening as well. Then we got Blue to hand her peanuts. We call her Mama bird. Kate was able to hold Blue up with a peanut in his beak and hand it off to the other Scrub three times now. Just as we were getting closer to the bird, and spring was not far off, she disappeared as quickly as she first arrived.

I assume she now has a nest with eggs or chicks. She returned a little more in a hurry then before and not as comfortable as she had been with me. She takes a peanut and leaves for about ten minutes. It used to be 1 min. This is another reason I think she has a nest. She is not hiding these nuts or eating them right away as she often would. She would take a peanut and hide it ten feet away in the ivy, then when she returned to get another while a squirrel would steal the first one. All the while as this repeats, the Scrub is unaware. So are they smart and gullible? No, this instinct is purposeful. The fact that Scrub Jays forget and otherwise loose something like 70% of the nuts they actually eat, they not only feed the squirrels and other animals, but also repopulate the forest.

Yesterday, she came and ate, taking peanuts from my hand. I noticed when she saw me she squawked, and then something happened I will never forget. I see mama bird coming towards the house with something in her beak. She places it at the foot of the sliding glass window to the backyard, right where Blues cage is, it was a dead lizard. On her way out she grabbed a peanut but not before giving us another squawk goodbye.

Everyone who has owned outside cats have found a dead animal present left for them, so this is nothing new to the pet kingdom, but certainly odd for a wild Scrub Jay. I am not sure if this present was intended for Blue or me. However, I think it gave us food because we give it food. Was this a trade – a thank you – a token of… I do not know. This is another reason I have no doubt that these birds plan. How they perceive time, I do not think we will ever know despite all the hubbub about the three day test. Mama bird had a reason for giving us the food.

Just to add to the strange day, Kate witnessed a paid of ducks flying low early in the morning, just as the sun was rising. One crashed into the carport head on. Its mate landed and watched over the stunned bird, which was OK after a rest, and flew away. Most stunned birds will be fine, if left in a quit spot for 5 – 10 minutes -- even after hitting a window. We have had five stunned birds brought to us from kids who live near by. Unable to move, we put them in a dimly lighted or even dark padded box for a few minutes, and they all sprung back to life. Not one died.

If other bird lovers out there have witnessed or experienced a Scrub Jay give food to person, or possibly another bird, please tell me about it – or any other unique behavior of these birds.

Scrub Jays remember the past and plan for future?

2007-04-06T13:50:00.001-07:00

I am no scientist. I do know Scrub Jays, which are in the Crow family, are VERY smart. Anyone who has seen the video of the crow dropping nuts so cars run them over and crack them, only to then learn to use the cross walk signals to retrieve their nuts, know birds can think and reason to an extent. In this case, the crow learned how to use a tool, a car, to crack a nut and learned our signals to know when its safe to enter the street to retrieve the nut. If a bird can do that, in my simple mind -- a bird can plan for the future.

I found this article interesting. The study of the Western Scrub Jay's ability to plan and have an understanding of time. Although not all experts agree, it is now an accepted theory.

I have witnessed Blue and his nut hiding abilities for years. If the study did not take into account the season, the weather, and many other factors, I find it hard to believe it was a very accurate study. It only took three days. Read for yourself and let us know what you think about this study. Can Blue plan for the future? Only primates and humans are supposed have this ability, but I never belived that. Dolphins have saved humans from sharks. Dogs have traveled hundreds of miles to find there way home. Maybe we are just too hung up about being above animals to change our persception of how they think. Maybe the are not void of intelect.

Wild Neighbors: Thinking About Breakfast: The Mind of the Jay Revisited
By Joe Eaton

Nicola Clayton and her scrub-jays have been at it again. Clayton, as you may recall, is the Cambridge experimental psychologist who keeps making startling claims about the cognitive abilities of the western scrub-jay, a bird she met while at UC Davis. (It’s the most widespread of three closely related species of crestless blue-and-gray jays; the others, the Florida scrub-jay and island scrub-jay, have limited ranges).
It was Clayton who contended that scrub-jays demonstrated episodic-like memory, thought to be a human exclusive: they could recall what they had done where and when, specifically where they had stashed perishable waxworms and more durable peanuts. In the wild, the birds cache and retrieve acorns. They’re not as good at re-finding stored food as their corvid relatives the pinyon jay and the Clark’s nutcracker; as Joseph Grinnell observed back in 1936, the acorns the scrub-jays miss may become the next generation of oaks.

It was also Clayton who found evidence for a “theory of mind” in scrub-jays, the ability to think of what others might be thinking. In that case, jays prone to pilfering other birds’ caches returned to move food that they had been observed hiding. The line of thought would be: “If I had seen Ralph hiding that acorn, I’d go steal it; and since he saw me hiding mine…”

Critics objected to both claims, of course, but Clayton’s ingenious experiments made a strong case. Now she’s back, in a recent issue of Nature, with a new study that suggests scrub-jays can plan for the future—again, something only the higher primates, humans and great apes, were supposed to be able to do.

Granted, many animals do things that appear purposeful: they fly north for the spring and south for the winter, swim to Ascension to mate, seek out caves or dens for hibernation, store acorns. But it’s assumed these behaviors are hardwired responses to seasonal cues: the animals are programmed to act in pre-set ways with changes in temperature or daylight.

With Clayton’s jays, something different seems to be going on. Her experiment this time exploited the birds’ caching compulsion.

She designed a three-chambered setup. The jays were kept overnight in the central space, with powdered pine nuts to snack on. In the morning they were moved into one of two adjoining spaces, one with food, the other without.

On their second night in the experimental cages, the jays were given a supply of pine nuts and each side room had a sand-filled ice-cube tray for caching. The birds that had previously missed out on breakfast cached three times as many nuts in the “no-breakfast room” as in the “breakfast room.” They seemed to remember whether they had spent the previous morning in a cozy B & B or in a Motel 6.

What could this be, asks Clayton, but a kind of mental time travel?

The rest of this article can be read by clicking here, or visiting http://www.berkeleydaily.org/text/article.cfm?issue=03-20-07&storyID=26612

Blue helps Blog

2007-04-06T10:25:00.000-07:00

When I write or work on the computer, Blue often sits on the top edge of the flat screen. He likes to watch my fingers on the keyboard. Other times he will sit on my head, or on his perch in front of the open window. Here is Blue who this morning decided to burst into a song and dance when I just raised my hand towards him. He aslo decided he did not like this medical bill and I tend to agree with him. Blue really does help me Blog by providing comic relief and entertainment.

The dance always begins with me doing had signals to him. Its only during this strange song and dance that Blue likes to be touched. Yesterday, after a long dance I picked him up and held him upside down in a lying down sort of position in my hand. He was very calm. I rubbed his belly and he fell asleep like a baby. This was a first in 8 years.

A Typical Day

2007-04-05T07:50:00.000-07:00

Blue’s average day goes something like this. At about 5:30 am, Blue wakes up and quietly waits. My girlfriend Kate gets up first and Blue spends several hours with her as she does the cages and gets ready for work. He loves to be part of this morning routine. He watches as she crushes up nuts for the other birds and hands him treats. All the while, he softly talks to her. Sorry, no 6:00am pics of my Girlfriend allowed here. I tried that already. At 8:00 am, Blue is transferred to me for care. He takes a shower with me and hangs with me while I get ready in the bathroom. One of the cutest shows of affection is when I get up for the first time in the morning. I will walk in the room where he sits on Kate’s shoulder. When Blue sees me for the first time of the morning, he always looks at me excitedly and peeps. This peep he only makes when he sees me for the first time in the morning. It is like “Hey Dad, I’m right here!”

Blue loves the shower, and the sound of any running water. He also loves the bright lights in the bathroom. He trills and dances on my shoulder as I struggle to awake, now its coffee time. We play in the backyard for about an hour. Blue will always do his song and dance first thing in the AM once we get outside. We play with toys and he sings to my hand signals.

If I am working at home, Blue is always with me, at times I might put him in his cage to organize his nuts and rest. If I leave, I have to decide if I can bring Blue. Blue loves the car. I think he thinks were both flying. Blue will not leave my shoulder outside, even if a dog is barking at him. However, wherever I go dozens of people approach me. They want to see him, take pictures, hear the story and listen to his trill, which he does if you clap.

As you can imagine, I like to show Blue to people, especially children, but it can get a little much. Nevertheless, I take him more often then not. I make sure he gets out on an adventure three times a week at least. In addition, Blue is often not allowed in a coffee shop and certainly no restaurants. Therefore, I take him to places where he is already known, the bank, the pharmacy and the post office are all big fans of Blue.

Blue also gets outside in nature daily. He loves to sit in “his tree” and play. He feels safe from passing big birds.

In short, Blue needs and gets allot of attention. He can be both loving and playful and fierce and playful. He still has a wild side, and he needs both kinds of attention. He likes to play tug of war or pound his beak into my fingers. He cannot bite hard enough to draw blood so I let him pound on my fingertips, which have calluses from playing guitar.

He is jealous of inanimate objects that take away attention from him, the phone, my computer, or a book. All of these things make him go into protest mode.

Blue keeps his cage a certain way. He stashes nuts around, moving them from place to place, always keeping a watchful eye know one sees where he is hiding things.

I often am asked why did I not raise Blue to be released back into the wild. Here is the quick answer.
To raise an infant bird like Blue to reintroduce into the wild takes allot of work, some of which was impossible for me. They cannot interact nor have any contact from humans. Wearing a glove, you would feed the infant every half hour without him even seeing your face, just the feeder tube. This requires you to be home for three months and never even look at your bird.

Once the bird can fly out by itself, you can begin the steps of releasing him. This requires a completely different step, needing allot of time and attention without the interaction. It is not very successful and was not a possibility for me. It was hard enough, bringing him everywhere I went for those three months, feeding him his special diet every half an hour. He would flap his wings fast and cry as I raised the feeding tube to his mouth. Eight years later he still does the “baby flap” when he is very happy or excited.
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Blue- a day in the life of Blue

2007-04-03T09:36:00.000-07:00

Blue sings on a monday morning

2007-04-02T12:54:00.000-07:00

Blue's Sunbath Trance and Dance!

2007-04-01T22:11:00.000-07:00

Today's Bath

2007-04-01T21:08:00.000-07:00

Today was cleaning day and Blue spent the day on one of our shoulders or heads while we worked. He played outside, did the sunbath, and by 4:00 pm. he was beat. So, we put him in his cage to rest and organize his nuts and treasures. He decided it was bath time. Blue does not drink from this bowl. He only baths in it and knows to only drink from his green water dispenser. He also baths in a much larger bowl out of his cage. Blue separates and organizes his nuts and food, hiding things all over. He steals too!

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Blue's friends

2007-03-31T13:11:00.000-07:00

Blue lives in a house with other birds. Here is Sophia, a canary. Her cage is next to Blues and the Canaries sometimes mimic Blue. If he eats, they eat. He likes hearing them sing but takes little other interest in them. We are in the process of moving and Blue will have an even better environment then now. More sun and and abundance of wild birds which he likes to listen to and watch.

Blue

2007-03-30T21:41:00.000-07:00

During a long three year recovery from spinal surgery and Encephalitis, Blue came into my life. I was outside my parent’s house when crows attacked a nest. They took the babies and ate them. Blue fell at my foot. He was fresh out of the egg, a day old at most. I called every animal rescue service, they told me to let him die. The parents abandoned him. I decided to rescue him. It was only because of a friendly man on the Internet who knew all about these birds that I was able to nurse him to an adult. He ate every half hour for about three months. I had to bring him everywhere I went in box until he became old enough to sit on my shoulder.

Blue saved my life. At the time I found him, I was at my lowest point of my life. I decided if I could keep the little fellow alive, I could do the same for myself. Lucky for me, it worked.

Blue is 8 years of age now. He has been very lucky too. Until recently, he never had any health problems. He is now blind in one eye from a cataract. Other then that he is in perfect health.

Early on, I discovered his strange sunbathing trance. Real sunlight is important to the health of all birds. I do not completely understand why he drops his head and seems to be almost asleep, falling over.

Later Blue began doing his dance when one day I wiggled my fingers in front of him. The video in the post below documents this behavior. The video shows both the sunbathing trance and his dance and song. Sometimes, I catch him softly singing to himself. The trill he learned from the phone.

Blue is out of his cage most of the day and can go nearly anywhere with me. He needs allot of affection and care. I do not condone caging wild animals for fun. If your going to try and do this, make sure its for the right reasons. I promised I would give Blue the best life I could, and I think I have.

Just a half a mile from where I found Blue is a large protected National Forest, Nicene Marks. There are many Scrub Jays and other birds there. I like to take Blue into the woods and let him hang out on a tree or play around in the stream. He loves it. Still, he is unafraid of other animals so I have to extra careful when around other peoples pets or in the woods. Blue will hand a peanut to another Scrub Jay we call Mama Bird. She visits each morning. She will land on me and I feed her nuts. My girlfriend Kate, who has developed a very close bond with Blue, has gotten Blue to give a peanut to the wild jay! We have many Stellar Jays here, and although they are bigger and tend to be in packs, Mama Bird can scare away any Stellar Jay.

I will videoing there interaction next, if I'm lucky.

Blue's Sunbath Trance and Dance!

2007-03-30T13:43:00.000-07:00

Blue does many amazing, funny and wonderful things. Here I was able to catch two in one video. Please be patient and watch the entire video. You will see some things you may have never seen a bird do before. While were waiting for Google to process the video, you can also click here to watch.

You may notice Blue's wings are overly clipped. Blue lost all his vision when he got a cataract in one eye. He simply injured the other eye as he was adjusting to the new loss of vision. The vet was wonderful and saved his sight in the injured eye. I clipped his wings to prevent him from injuring himself. Normally I allow him to be able to fly fairly far. I do not normally even clip his wings. In novice fashion, I unfortunately over clipped them. I was in fear he would injure himself. His feathers are growing in nicely though. His check up came back 100% healthy. I was very relieved. His recovery was very fast, even the vet was amazed.

Where does Blue sleep? He sleeps here in his Mop in his cage.