|
|
Post by NellyDee on Nov 21, 2016 11:55:09 GMT
My jays never cease to amaze me with their cunning, but this morning was something new. As you probably know everything is covered in snow and last night temperature reached -8C, so birds etc are petty desperate. Wee red Squirrel was very busy getting monkey nuts from his feeder, Jay was sat above feeder and as squirrel emerged with nut in his mouth jay dive drown and tried to grab the nut, bit of a tussle, squirrel dashes off buries the nut, back again into the feeder, this went on for almost 20 mins, jay diving onto squirrel and a couple of times chasing it round the lawn. In the end I togged up and went and put monkey nuts on the ground.
|
|
|
|
Post by Tringa on Nov 21, 2016 23:21:20 GMT
An interesting and entertaining observation.
I wonder how long it will be before the jays work out it would be better to watch where the squirrel buries the nuts and 'liberate' then from there?
Dave
|
|
|
|
Post by rowanberry on Nov 21, 2016 23:28:26 GMT
I think there were some experiments done with jays, where if one jay hid a nut but suspected that another jay had been watching it, then later it would go back and move the nut someplace else. I think Dave is right- they'll probably learn to watch the squirrels and do a bit of pilfering.  |
|
|
|
Post by NellyDee on Nov 22, 2016 9:38:13 GMT
The jays have been watching the squirrels all year and pinching the nuts almost as soon as squirrel buried them, it has been an on going amusement show. It only took them a day to find out how to get into squirrel feeder, so I had to make the entrance holes smaller. Their latest trick is getting the nuts out a couple of new feeders I got, the ones with lift up lids - that was just to easy for them. It has been an on going battle which the jays win every time. By the way the GSWs are not far behind in their cunning. However, it is the first time I have actually seen them trying to get a nut off a squirrel. This is one of them having discovered where I hid the food for the Pine Marten (at the back under BBQ cover)  Jay nut are there q by Helen Skelton, on Flickr  Jay nut are there 2 by Helen Skelton, on Flickr |
|
|
|
Post by aeshna5 on Nov 22, 2016 17:49:07 GMT
Great stuff- such intelligent birds!
|
|
|
|
Post by rowanberry on Nov 22, 2016 19:33:05 GMT
I like how the jay is sneaking a peak under the bbq cover.
Mine are clearing the nuts off the birdtable within just a minute or two every morning now- I wonder if Tescos notices that sales of their monkey nuts trebles come winter?
|
|
|
|
Post by NellyDee on Nov 23, 2016 14:06:27 GMT
I like how the jay is sneaking a peak under the bbq cover. Mine are clearing the nuts off the birdtable within just a minute or two every morning now- I wonder if Tescos notices that sales of their monkey nuts trebles come winter? It was costing me a small fortune buying the monkey nuts from Tesco and friend gave me this link to buy in bulk and they post them to you normal delivery. Cost about 1/2 the price and they arrive with in a couple of days (Jim the posty thinks I must be additcted to them) www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00J9T0U6M/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 |
|
