My Greybies

Day 41: Perisoreus canadensis will always be Grey Jay to me, or rather "Greybies," and one of my favourite birds. I have many fond memories of backpacking trips where these delightful moochers talked me out of my breakfast oatmeal or part of a granola snack, one even going so far as to fly through a three-inch gap between my hand and lips to snatch a graham cracker. I have scores of photos of them sitting on my hand or my husband's head, soliciting the bird-friendly food we often carried specifically for them. Consequently, I was overjoyed when the first one came to my feeders. It only stayed a day or two, but over the next few years, it kept returning and staying longer, and even brought a friend. Although I couldn't say which was male and which was female, it was apparently one of each, because three came together later, one obviously a juvenile. Even later, the family unit grew to five, and they began coming around in both summer and winter. I have only counted three at once so far this year, and none is sufficiently acclimated to my presence to permit contact, although I'm hopeful. I love my Greybies!