valleylynn said:The Blue Jays can cause havoc here for me. They seem to be fascinated by certain semps and won't leave them alone.

Sounds like some of the people you had over in early May... Has your beds recovered from us yet, Lynn?

"Ohh I love that one!! What's this one called? Aahh I like that one too! Oh and what is that one??"

You can't even tell you all were here.

Jo Ann, I am getting ready to plants some new semps. I will cover them with more of the nursery trays. The ones I planted a month ago have mostly rooted in well enough to uncover.

I will check mine in a month then. Thanks Lynn.

We wouldn't need to do this if the critters would just leave them alone.

I cant figure out what Bluejays want with semps. What a pest.

They never carry them off, just move them around. Silly birds.

Our two bluejays now have two more bluejays and now they roam our yard in a pack of 4 making twice the racket.

On no, not a pack of Blue Jays.

The jays move the semps around for one of two reasons... They buried a nut or other food item close to it (even under it) and they have come back to retrieve it, or they are using the semp (presumable small one) to cover a place nearby where they have buried a nut (food). They are very smart birds. If they think another jay has observed their cache they will dig it up and move it to another place.

Signed, Connie who spent a good year or so closely watching these birds.

Oh yes! One day at the periphery of my vision near a window, I saw a Blue Jay tackling a long piece of something and then jumping away from it. At first I thought he was trying to break a long piece of straw or trying to fly away with it. I saw the Jay banging against the fence and was wondering what was getting the best of him. I stepped closer to the window and saw the very long tail of a lizard in the Blue Jay's mouth. Apparently, the Jay was trying to wrangle the lizard into some sort of submission? Obviously the lizard was too big for him but maybe the family was watching and he had to show the lizard who was boss despite the bruises he must have gotten from banging into the fence...

Connie, I will have to slow down and take the time to do some observing myself. But I have been wondering where the lizard went.

I guess if the lizard was very big it got away... Are your jays the Stellar type (blue with dark head and top notch) or Scrub Jays which are blue and gray (no top notch)?

Must be Scrub Jays as I notice no notch on top of head. They have smooth heads. The pack of 4 consist of 2 adults and 2 teens...

Yes, Scrub jay. I kinda enjoy their noise and antics. I had one that routinely came in the patio sliding door to get nuts from me.

Connie: thats great bird lore. We have American Jays no cone headed one like I saw in Arizona . They are noisiest in winter.