Attack of the Copper Hawk

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

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

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

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!!

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.

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!

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.