Sweethearts

Day 111: At the opposite end of the spectrum from irritating Blackbirds, annoying Starlings and disgusting Band-tailed Pigeons, we have endearing Evening Grosbeaks, personable Chickadees and of course the sweethearts: the Canada (Grey) Jays. Highly intelligent and very sociable, Perisoreus canadensis is well-known to backcountry hikers as the "camp robber" for its penchant for stealing food right off the table or out of the hand, but the term is applied lovingly (for the most part, at least) and visitors often defy Park regulations to have the privilege of a Grey take tidbits from an open palm. Their call is a plaintive mew which plucks at the heartstrings: "I'm starving. Please feed me!" and is hard to deny. Fortunately for me, a family of Greys discovered my feeders a few years ago and have been coming more and more frequently, albeit irregularly, to the yard. They are not yet confident in approaching a human at this altitude, which is probably wise, so with this species, I do not encourge contact as I do with the smaller birds.