Blue Jays.

[Guest]

My first time posting here.

Last year, I was in the backyard, there was a racket behind the fence. A Blue Jay was attacking a young martin. The adult Martin’s was doing their best to stop the attack, to no avail. I scared off the Blue Jay, had my daughter hop the fence and we put the youngen’ back in its house.

This past weekend, while I was waiting to introduce sparrows to my little friend, I swear I saw a Blue Jay on the Martin house. It landed , then took off within a few seconds. Is it normal for Blue Jays to attack Martin’s?

[Don Strickland]

I have lots of Blue Jays around here and have never seen them attack a Martin.
Don

[Louise Chambers]

Blue Jays will not bother adult martins - but they might go after a grounded nestling; they are members of the crow family and that would be typical behavior.

I once saw a blue jay try to get a newly-fledged bluebird that was in an awkward spot, down in a well made by a tree that split into 3 trunks. No harm done as I rescued the bird and put it back in nestbox.

Years back, a MN landlord wrote the PMCA about blue jays pulling nestlings out, when the young birds stuck their heads out for food. We advised larger compartments and SREHs, and he had no more problems.

So it's pretty unusual, but if a young bird is on ground or in trouble, it's fair game to any bigger birds that see them.

[Carlton]

Yes, I saw a blue jay reach inside a hollow log birdhouse I "had made" and pull out baby tufted titmice.

I love blue jays but I was not in love with them at that time. I did away with that house and the next year put up a deeper house.

[Matt@atx]

I don't like them because they are noisy and annoying. Louise are we alowed to shoot Blue Jays?

[Louise Chambers]

No way, Matt! They happen to be one of my favorite birds - I know they are noisy and sometimes pesky but they are also beautiful, good at harassing hawks and owls, and they 'plant' a lot of trees since they bury acorns. I've always enjoyed watching their behavior - they are smart birds.

for newbies - all native birds are protected (except game birds, waterfowl, and those only in season) and the only legal targets for trapping and shooting are starlings and house sparrows. Pigeons are introduced and not protected but not an issue to martin landlords. There are exceptions for some blackbird species, but again redwings or grackles or crows are not an issue for martin landlords.

[Guest]

Thanks for the answers. I know they are protected.

And I agree, they are loud.

[Carlton]

I know plenty of people who are noisy and annoying too. :-)))

[katkola]

Last year my Martins attacked some baby bluebirds on the ground!! As much as I love my PMs, I hated to see that behaviour!!

I suppose baby birds of all kinds are open to attack from larger birds. I don't see how any of them make it!! We have to protect them the best we can and let the good Lord do the rest, huh?

[Glynn B - LA]

Sorry....didn't mean to hijack your post. Does anyone know where I can find info on protected and unprotected birds in Louisiana?




Glynn

[Louise Chambers]

Glynn, the list of protected birds is so long, it's simpler to ask about the status of specific birds you are interested in knowing about.

Here is a link with info from federal migratory bird treaty.

http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/Regul ... intro.html

What Species Are Not Protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act?
The MBTA does not apply to species that fall into any of the following categories:
(1) Nonnative species introduced into the United States or its territories by means of intentional or unintentional human assistance. See 70 FR 12710 (March 15, 2005) for a partial list of nonnative human-introduced bird species in this category.
(2) Species that are native and belong to families not covered by any of the conventions implemented by the MBTA. These species are managed by the states within which they reside.

Whatever is covered federally is also protected by state laws.

[Glynn B - LA]

Thank you Ms. Louise.






Glynn

[Siberman]

Not really fond of Blue Jays since they rob the Phoebe's nests and do their best to kill any fledglings . I've also been dive-bombed by more than one parent when their chicks start flying. I've never seen them bother the martins , though.

One thing in their favor is that they are excellent predator alarms. I was drawn outside by their screams on one occasion to find a ratsnake climbing the pole.

The next time I went out to find every Jay , Martin , Mockingbird (even a few hummers) swarming around a dwarf fruit tree near the martin house. I walked up to the tree and got buzzed by a small hawk ( seriously , his wings actually touched my head). Last I saw of him he was about two miles north of here and surrounded by a cloud of every adult bird on the property.

I feed the Jays now.

[Shawn Saulnier]

For anyone wondering if Blue Jays will go after and kill Purple Martins I can confirm they do !!
Today I watched a blue jay fly directly into a nest and instantly pulled out a non flying 2 inch by 2 inch baby. I stoped it and moved the baby and went to put on my shoes thinking I would lower the house and put it back it…within 10 seconds the blue jay returned and was acting like a woodpecker on an ant infested tree against the baby martin. Flew off with it dropping it 3 times before it was out of my site.

[Thomabear]

We have Blue Jays that spend a lot of time at our feeders. I never had a problem with them going after our martins but our feeders are on the opposite side of our house and about 150 feet from the martins. They are very fun to watch but man do they run up a food bill. We purchase peanuts by the sack and they eat very few in our presence. About 90% of the peanuts are hauled off and buried for later. Every year we have several peanuts sprouting in our flower beds.