May 18 2010
Animal-ated
Steller’s Jay
Thud!
I looked up from my work to see a slightly stunned and stunning Steller’s Jay sitting on the back deck. It had flown into my sliding glass doors. He must have needed glasses, because I can tell you for a fact that they are not Windex-clean. I watched him for a little while, and he flew to a nearby bush and started yelling at somebody about something, so I figured he was OK. It’s surprising how loud a bird can be.
And how they can take up an entire lane in a two-lane road. I had to go around a turkey vulture who was feasting on Ridge roadkill the other day. He saw me, too. He merely looked up as if to say, “Can’t ya see I’m eatin’ here?” I imagined a James Cagney accent, maybe because I’ve been watching so many old movies lately.
Roadkill hasn’t been the only attraction for carrion eaters lately. I noticed that the doughnut shop had become quite popular with these types. Before you start picturing a Krispy Kreme stand in the middle of nowhere, I hasten to add that this is a local nickname for a large clearing by the side of the road where bored kids like to do doughnuts. It’s also a spot where people see fit to dump things like old trailers, recliners, and, in this case…pig parts. Apparently someone had butchered a hog and didn’t know what to do with the head and other et ceteras. Fortunately the crows and vultures were making quick work of the buffet.
When I got home, Mark was there, installing my new-ish washer and taking away the old, clothes-eating one. He said that he and his family are hosting a couple of Japanese exchange students this week. Although the two visitors don’t speak English, and Mark’s girls don’t speak Japanese, they find a way to communicate. He said they were up until 11:00 the previous night, talking and giggling. I guess girl talk is universal.
6 Responses to “Animal-ated”
Thank goodness for crows and turkey vultures….they certainly do a fine clean-up job around here too..
Pleased to know that your Steller’s Jay survived the head-on crash. We have chickadees, ‘tho more particularly in the wintertime, try to go through our windows.
Hey……hope the newish washer works well for you. …..Enjoy!
jx
PS…It occurs to me that this Jay could be a Cardinal….but he is blue instead of the red.
jx
According to Wikipedia:
“Steller’s Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri) belongs to the genus cyanocitta, which along with the Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) are the only two species contained within this genus. C. stelleri is part of the Corvidae family which consists of crows, ravens, rooks, jackdaws, jays, magpies, treepies, choughs and nutcrackers. Over one hundred and twenty different species make up the Corvidae family. The closest relatives of the Corvidae are shrikes (Laniidae) and birds of paradise (Paradisaeidae). They are much more distantly related to hoopoes, woodhoopoes, scimitarbills, hornbills and ground-hornbills.”
It’s also the official bird of British Columbia!
Thank God for all the birds and animals that do their job, where you see humans throwing all kinds of debris that could cause bacteria to grow, we have these wonderful animals and bird that prevent the worst.
Thanks for that Suzy…….jx
That’s a nice shot, in my professional(ish) opinion 🙂