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Tag Archives: canada jays

Feeding the Birds

I did not mean to feed the birds. Sometimes Luna doesn’t feel well and she was getting white rice mixed into her regular kibble and still she did not eat her breakfast. So I picked it up to keep Sky from eating it. Later we walked down to the lake and when we returned, the local flock of Canada Jays was having a heyday with it. These jays make their way through the campground each morning looking for careless campers who leave their food out. Normally, I keep a clean campsite so I was a bit horrified at myself but then watching the jays was so much fun and they were really loving the unexpected treats!

Canada Jays used to be known as Gray Jays and before that, they were Canada Jays. I don’t know why ornithologists made those decisions. They are commonly known as camp robbers or whiskey jacks. They are very gregarious and will even take food from a person’s hand. I wonder what they eat in the winter when people aren’t around?

Camp Robbers

If you spend much time hiking or camping in the Cascades, sooner or later, you will be surrounded by Camp Robbers and I hope they are the avian kind. Canada Jays (formerly known as Gray Jays) are pretty birds that enjoy people. They know that people come with food and the jays seem to know if they are sweet and cute, eventually, someone will give them a handout. Sky and I saw this group on one of our hikes last week.

Jays at Washington Pass

It’s not unusual to see Canada Jays at Washington Pass. These sweet birds, often referred to as Camp Robbers and formerly known as Gray Jays, are gregarious and opportunistic. They have evolved to know that people often have food with them and so when they see people, they will investigate the situation. And people see these sweet looking birds and often want to lure them closer for fun and photos. I watched as others fed the jays in the parking lot and was able to get some nice photos of them in the snow.

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