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Average
Size
10 to 13 inches
Other
Names
"Camp
Robbers" "Whiskey Jacks"
Favorite Nest Building Materials
fur and sticks | |
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Lesson
Plans | |
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| We
have been seeing gray
jays flying around with sticks and other building materials in their mouths.
Gray
jays begin making their nests in February and start laying eggs in the middle
of March. It is still cold in the northern forests at that time of year, so the
jays must eat lots of food to have enough energy
for building and taking care of young. They rely on their caches of pellets for
a lot of their energy
. Gray
jays use a collection of twigs, bark, and sometimes pieces of wasp nests.
The inside is lined with soft warm materials like deer, moose, snowshoe
hare fur, and fine grasses. These soft materials are comfortable as well as insulator
Gray jays will feed on leftover carrion and will often pick up clumps of hair
to take back to their nests. | |
| These
bold and inquisitive little birds always seem to find their way into camp. Even
in remote areas where it is doubtful that they have had many other campers traveling
through, they are eager to find bits of food that you leave. I would imagine that
the voyageurs had gray
jays of generations past visiting their campsites looking for bits of dried
peas and pemmican dropped by a hungry voyageur as he scarfed down his meal. |
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A gray
jay has a white belly, forehead, breast, and neck. The rest of its body is
gray. Young jays are slate colored gray all over. Gray
jays look fluffy, because they have long insulating feathers to keep them
warm in the cold winter months. Gray jays are about 10-13 inches long.
The
next time you are in the Northern Woods do not be surprised if a bold and friendly
gray
jay comes by to see if you will share your food! Keep exploring! Dave
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Click
Image To Enlarge
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