Two handfuls of steller’s jays visited this morning.  They seemed like the quarterbacks of the bird world – handsome, hearty and very secure with themselves.  They also were quite noisy and not remotely shy, and checked out my place on their own terms.

Our visitors made themselves comfortable on the deck railing, roof line and nearby trees.  First we noticed two jays sitting on the railing for a pretty long time.  Then we “tuned in” and spotted three more tails sticking out from the roof-line.  A couple more were actively flying, landing and taking off around a nearby pine tree.

With plenty of windows, we felt lucky these visitors didn’t start attacking their own reflections – which they mistake for other birds.  According to Bay Nature, these birds may get rather feisty during mating season but not today.

Then we decided to get closer, and walked onto the deck.  The bold jays on the deck railing weren’t spooked and stuck around.  Maybe they were waiting for some morsels, which weren’t forthcoming from this stingy human!

Apparently these steller’s jays were stopping to catch their breaths, before departing for greener digs.  After 15 minutes or so, their visit was over and they took off to parts unknown.