Meet the Scrub Jay that this article will be featuring! I ran across these images as I was in my archive on another project, however going through the series I just had to laugh and it might bring a smile your face as well?

The feature scrub jay I said on twitter was a, “she”, though going through the series this looks and acts more like a juvenile playing with it’s food!
The food in question is these sunflowers we grow for the birds. Don’t get me wrong I have been known to get some seeds for myself, though don’t tell the birds that ha!

Over and over again I would see this, this Scrub Jay would have a seed in its mouth and you would think the Scrub Jay would either tear it apart to get to seed inside and eat it right?

NO! This Scrub Jay actually drops the sunflower seed! Over and over again this behavior happened! These Scrub Jays are part of the Crow family as many other birds. The Crow family is very large!! Some claim the Crow species, sub species of birds are as smart as birds we here in America keep in cages! After watching many of the different kinds of birds from the Crow family, I agree!

This Scrub Jay went to all the trouble of getting that seed out of the sunflower head there, then I feel means to drop it to see what happens maybe??

Than, as any thinking being would do – “where did it go”?? You can clearly see this Scrub Jay is tilting its head, turning around as if looking for the sunflower seed that has just been dropped!

Keep in mind we all like to think the birds know we are around. Even wildlife , who get to come and go as they please know when we are around watching them, or taking their photograph. This Scrub Jay knows I am paying attention to what I call, “playing”. What else can this behavior be but paying. Playing is how everything learns from humans to animals!

Some time went by, which is documented in my still photography, of this Scrub Jay playing with its food! I dint feel you wanted to see the whole series. So anyhoo, at this point this Scrub Jay has oh, four or five seeds in it’s throat. You would think to take back to where ever its nest is right? Well, wrong again! The play has stepped up some!

The Scrub Jay started throwing up the seeds and catching them! No kidding, it was the funniest behavior! I am not sure if this behavior was to show off while I was clearly paying this Scrub Jay some attention or just because we provided the food in which this Scrub Jay has the benefit of playing with?

I named the photograph above as just, “Catch”, for obvious reasons!

In any case it was fun to watch!

The photograph above is just a bonus. The Scrub Jay throw more then one seed up in the air and caught it as I was photographing this Scrub Jay and did it even more after my arms got tired from the weight of my camera!

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