Honk, honk! When I first heard them, I thought I was hearing bicycle horns. A brand new birder, I was checking out Denver’s Cherry Creek State Park, and there were certainly bicyclists out enjoying the brilliant fall day. I wondered why they were honking so much, since they had their own bike paths, and there really wasn’t anyone to honk at.
A couple of weeks later, I heard the honking again. This time I was strolling around Fountain Creek Nature Center, south of Colorado Springs. No one else was around, and besides, cyclists aren’t permitted in the nature area. Now I was really confused.
Then I heard the same sound at home. That tin horn honking. Realizing it had to be a bird, I started scanning the branches where the sound was coming from. Finally, I saw my noise maker.
Because I already knew what Steller’s Jays and Scrub Jays look like, I quickly realized my new bird was a jay, but I had to consult my field guide to determine which one. Then I got pretty excited. I was seeing my very first Blue Jay!
For those of you who have lived in the eastern US, Blue Jays are very familiar birds. But I grew up in California, and California doesn’t have Blue Jays. Neither did Colorado until about a decade ago. Now they’re regular visitors to my property, especially in spring and fall.
Why have the Blue Jays moved into Colorado? One explanation may be that they were reluctant to cross the treeless prairies—their relatively slow flight make them an easy target for hungry raptors. Now that humans have planted trees from the Ozarks to the Rockies, the trip is much safer. (This coast-to-coast “tree highway” may also account for the expanded range of House Finches, although they’ve moved in the opposite direction.)
Because hawks and owls are a threat, jays scream a warning when one is sighted. Other birds respond as well, diving into the foliage at the sound of the alarm. However, that doesn’t explain the “bicycle horn” calls I heard, as the jays’ “hawk in the area” warning sounds just like a Red-tailed Hawk!
Jays have a bad reputation, and to some degree they’ve earned it. Not only do they hog feeders, but they have been known to steal eggs and chicks from the nests of songbirds (although not very often). Plus, some people object to the loud noises they make. (You can hear several of their calls at Whatbird.com.)
However, Blue Jays have many good points as well. Like other Corvids (crows, ravens, and other jays), they’re highly intelligent and good at solving puzzles (such as how to open the door to a cage).
Additionally, they’re devoted spouses and parents. Couples mate for life. Each spring, the pair builds a nest together, and the male brings the female her meals while she incubates the eggs. Once the babies hatch, both parents take care of them. Even after the young birds fledge, the family sticks together for the rest of the summer.
Finally, we may well owe our eastern oak forests to these (and other) acorn eaters. While Blue Jays do consume bugs, they are primarily vegetarians, and prefer to dine on seeds, nuts, and especially acorns. Like other jays, they store surplus food for consumption later, burying it in the ground. Rather than get eaten later, many of these buried acorns sprout.
I’ve been putting peanuts out on our balcony railing every morning for several years now. While my usual customers are the plentiful Steller’s Jays, every spring and fall we’re visited by several Blue Jays as well. If I’m the slightest bit late, the birds come to the kitchen window and squawk at me until I come out with their breakfast. Then they start screaming, as if to tell all the other jays that the food is ready. Or maybe they’re just saying, “Thank you!”
Mountain Plover 
These guys are so much fun to watch at a birdbath. They really get into it and I have to refill it after they leave.
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I have followed this for since they got here. I think it was about 30+ years ago. They got here b/c we planted trees across the plains, allowing them to live and nest across. THEY ARE NOT INDIGENOUS. Also, THEY KILL AND EAT BABY NATIVE AND SONGBIRDS. I am vegetarian for 50 years, don’t step on ants even, but I will consider shooting the non-indigenous blue jays. They eat baby song birds; all baby birds native to here. (Probably not the raptors!)
If you will reread my post, I specifically mentioned that they’re here because of the trees on the plains. I spent the last week driving across the plains (Minnesota to western N. Dakota, then south through Wyoming to Colorado). We saw very few trees. What we did see were native cottonwoods, which follow any stream bed. I highly doubt they were planted. Other trees shade farm/ranch houses, or act as windbreaks in an effort to prevent soil erosion. I believe their benefits outweigh the problems, but that’s my opinion. In any case, I suspect the jays would have gotten here eventually, humans or no humans.
By the way, shooting jays is illegal, as they are covered by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. There’s a very hefty fine if you’re reported.
And, Bluejays are NOT a songbird. Everyone keeps calling them that. They are not. Perhaps they have mesmerized you, screaming at you, after they have killed all of the songbirds you used to enjoy. Peaceout
Jays and other Corvids (family Corvidae) are passerines (order Passeriformes). The typical common name for passerines is songbird. As I reread my post, I never called jays songbirds. I prefer “passerine” or “perching bird” which they are. And I did mention that they eat eggs and baby songbirds. Sorry you are so angry about the jays. I hope you feel better soon.
Yes! Hi I found your blog when searching about Eastern Blue jay in Colorado Springs! I started seeing one this spring and it was calling up a storm…nothing- no response. Felt bad for the guy! Slowly over the year I’d see one more. I just had FIVE out back near my feeder! (Nov. 2017)(cheap grocery store seed/my neighbor in the back is far more giving..corn/peanuts, etc) I’m a very amatuer birder and Eastern Blue Jays certainly not on my radar…to me they all look like males (bright blue/white/stunning black markings) Thought I would share…really can’t find information on this bird in Colorado. Of course, it is warmer and warmer lately…birds are confused?
Thank you for your article. I realize it was published 8 years ago. I live in California and people here want to call the Scrub Jay and the Steller’s Jay a Blue Jay… and I feel like the lone voice – “that’s NOT a blue jay”.
I grew up in Colorado. Your post mentioned the Blue Jays didn’t arrive in Colorado until about 10 years prior to your article, but I wanted to let you know they were present throughout my childhood years in Colorado from 1977-1989. I could spot one in a heartbeat. I enjoyed reading your article. Yes, Jay’s get a bad rap and as odd as it sounds I fell in love with the Steller’s Jay once they nested in the rafters on my front porch 3 years in a row. So much care for each other and protection… Later, I found out from Cornell that they even remember faces and teach it to their young. I felt so special to have a 4th year of nesters AFTER we moved 5 blocks away! Same nest placement – in the rafters on my front porch!!
Thanks for your comments. Now I know that the Blue Jays have been here longer than what I read in my research.
Steller’s Jays are gorgeous birds. I remembered them from when we lived in California, but the California ones look slightly different, which confused me at first. I had one that would come heft the peanuts I left on my railing, carefully choosing the heaviest one before flying away with it. What amazed me was that the bird carefully replaced the rejects, balancing them on the narrow wood. And if I didn’t come up with breakfast fast enough, it would peck at my kitchen window. They’re so intelligent!
I have lived here for 20 yrs. and have seen Blue Jays always since then. They seem to go into hiding in the Winter, perhaps due to lack of foliage in the trees to hide them from hawks.
Yes I also remember seeing Jay’s in Colorado Springs growing up in the 70s and 80s. I have lived in an apartment for a few years in Aurora. It is the 3rd story facing west abutting an Open Space. We put food out mostly for the squirrels (our Main Coon loves to watch them and occasionally pretend to “hunt”), but some birds come by too. There is a Blue Jay couple who live two trees down, and every spring they bring their fledglings to feast. Two adults and up to 5 fledglings, all at once!