Jay (was - Unidentified Garden Bird)

homeless student

Hi, my dad saw a bird in our garden(west of ireland) twice during the past week and he doesnt know what it was, he thinks its some kind of magpie cross as it had magpie markings i.e bright blue/green feathers but was mostly brown like a female blackbird.he said it was bigger than a magpie.any ideas what it could be?

Alun

homeless student wrote: »

Hi, my dad saw a bird in our garden(west of ireland) twice during the past week and he doesnt know what it was, he thinks its some kind of magpie cross as it had magpie markings i.e bright blue/green feathers but was mostly brown like a female blackbird.he said it was bigger than a magpie.any ideas what it could be?

A jay maybe?

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/j/jay/index.aspx

homeless student

Alun wrote: »

A jay maybe?

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/j/jay/index.aspx

mystery solved:)thanks. showed my dad the link you sent and he confirmed that it was a jay, he never saw one where we live before and we have lived here over 30 years,are they rare?

Alun

I don't really know how rare they are to be honest, I'm sure there are more knowledgeable people on here that can give you a better idea of that. They're not considered endangered at all, but that doesn't give any indication of total numbers, just that the population is sustainable and stable. They prefer woodland, deciduous mainly, so that kind of limits where they're normally seen.

Desmo

Alun wrote: »

I don't really know how rare they are to be honest, I'm sure there are more knowledgeable people on here that can give you a better idea of that. They're not considered endangered at all, but that doesn't give any indication of total numbers, just that the population is sustainable and stable. They prefer woodland, deciduous mainly, so that kind of limits where they're normally seen.

They are apparently widespread but most people rarely see them as the Irish ones are very shy. On the continent, Jays are common in gardens and parks but here they stay well hidden. Up until his year, I had seen them just a couple of times in a lifetime (Phoenix Park both times). I was just a very casual birdwatcher so was not really out searching for them.
This year, I have been birdwatching relatively intensively and I have seen them 5 or 6 times. I have learned the call and now know how to find them but they are still elusive and it is always a treat to see one. I have seen them in woodlands here, both broadleaved/mixed and coniferous.

Des

Mothman

Alun wrote: »

I don't really know how rare they are to be honest, I'm sure there are more knowledgeable people on here that can give you a better idea of that. They're not considered endangered at all, but that doesn't give any indication of total numbers, just that the population is sustainable and stable. They prefer woodland, deciduous mainly, so that kind of limits where they're normally seen.

This is mainly it in a nut shell and what Desmo followed up with.

I have them daily in my garden at moment. They were feasting on raspberries! Seem to be ignoring the bird nuts though they do go on feeders. They adore acorns.

They are elusive but much easier to see at this time of year now that leaves have dropped.

Desmo

Mothman wrote: »

This is mainly it in a nut shell and what Desmo followed up with.

I have them daily in my garden at moment. They were feasting on raspberries! Seem to be ignoring the bird nuts though they do go on feeders. They adore acorns.

They are elusive but much easier to see at this time of year now that leaves have dropped.

Daily jays in yer garden? That is way cool.

Mothman

Desmo wrote: »

Daily jays in yer garden? That is way cool.

And today on the nut feeder!!

Amalgam

I was visited by a very stocky and sturdy Jay this morning.

Aloof bird, very skittish when it saw me. I thought it was a magpie with something wrong, or a blackbird on steroids. Tan coloured, with black and white markings running the lenght of its forehead/crest. Same size as an average magpie. The beak is unmistakeable, it has a bit of mass to it, compared to your average garden visitor.

It also orients itself in a way you notice, it'll face something of interest, keep its beak in line with it, but 'hop around it' very gingerly. Keeping its head\beak, in line with whatever's caught its eye.

I couldn't take pictures with me there, so, I took the camera and propped it up against an ornamental jug in our kitchen and went about my business, while the camera recorded for 90 minutes or so..

Our location is the reason I'm posting. We live in a built up housing estate in the south of Dublin. Dun Laoghaire area.

Is that an unusual habitat for a Jay to visit?

I have video, but (don't laugh), my PC can't handle the video my camera has taken.. (1080P)

Desmo

Amalgam wrote: »

I was visited by a very stocky and sturdy Jay this morning.

Aloof bird, very skittish when it saw me. I thought it was a magpie with something wrong, or a blackbird on steroids. Tan coloured, with black and white markings running the lenght of its forehead/crest. Same size as an average magpie. The beak is unmistakeable, it has a bit of mass to it, compared to your average garden visitor.

It also orients itself in a way you notice, it'll face something of interest, keep its beak in line with it, but 'hop around it' very gingerly. Keeping its head\beak, in line with whatever's caught its eye.

I couldn't take pictures with me there, so, I took the camera and propped it up against an ornamental jug in our kitchen and went about my business, while the camera recorded for 90 minutes or so..

Our location is the reason I'm posting. We live in a built up housing estate in the south of Dublin. Dun Laoghaire area.

Is that an unusual habitat for a Jay to visit?

I have video, but (don't laugh), my PC can't handle the video my camera has taken.. (1080P)

There seem to be a lot of Jay reports lately, including in gardens. Off the top of my head, I would say it is rare enough and a major treat to get one in a garden in the suburbs. Mothman has them in his garden but that is rural with lots of trees nearby? I live in Monkstown and have never seen one here but they probably occur up Killiney Hill and definitely in Cabinteeley Park.

fryup

Desmo wrote: »

There seem to be a lot of Jay reports lately, including in gardens. Off the top of my head, I would say it is rare enough

i saw a jay in my back garden a few weeks back..my first time in over 20yrs that i've seen one in my garden....beautiful bird i must say, very striking, the type of bird that wouldn't look out of place in the tropics

Fuzzy Clam

I also saw one in my garden a few weeks ago for the 1st time. Up till then, I had only seen 2 pairs in 7 years. Both times in different woods.

richiek67

Saw a Jay the other day here in Kildare, Celbridge. Nice looking birds. Common enough but hard to see them, kind of shy birds!!
Have seen a few in my time ok but mostly forest type habitats are the preferred areas.

Ambersky

A jay seems to have taken up residence in my mothers garden in Offaly. She has lived there for over 25 years and this is there first time to see one

Amalgam

Such a frustrating bird to try and capture with a camera.



Taken this morning. I could only go and get a camera once it had started to forage under the feeder. Came back and just tried to grab a moment. It was gone two seconds later.

The creature will not tolerate any human presence. I just often find myself there, sitting at the table and it'll land without realising someone is about, then.. the minute it has seen you, it's off.

Suet of any kind brings it down to the garden. It'll happily sit on the same branch as our plumped up Bulfinches and just take a breather. Speckled googles on its face.

Hard to get a sense of scale from the picture, but if the tail was longer it would be the same size as a well proportioned Magpie. Maybe even a littler taller, rounder..

Happy to have it around, in any case. It always flies off in the direction of the local copse.

kilk

I recently took a spin around the woodlands of Loughglynn in Co. Roscommon, in an area called the Demense I think. I spotted a Blue Jay in the trees not too far from me, I wasn't sure what it was at the time until I looked it up on comp later.

I've never seen one before and don't expect to see any again.

V Bull

kilk wrote: »

I spotted a Blue Jay in the trees not too far from me, I wasn't sure what it was at the time until I looked it up on comp later.

I've never seen one before and don't expect to see any again.

A "Blue Jay" is a native of Northern America and not resident in Ireland or Europe, I dont think that there are any records of sightings here. See photos below of a Blue Jay, totally different to our native Jay.....

Blue Jay..




Irish Jay..

Brian

Blue Jays are quite imposing birds. I remember being struck by how large it was when I visited the USA.

Alun

They are indeed quite large, and a much more vivid blue than the above photograph shows, at least the ones I saw.

BTW I saw a 'normal' Jay last weekend when I was driving up to the Sally Gap at about 7.30am (don't ask) and it was actually sitting on the tarmac by the side of the road. I slowed right down as I thought it might be injured or something, but as I got nearer it 'woke up' and flew away into the trees.

I've seen this behaviour before early in the mornings with wood-pigeons who also, rather perversely, usually decide to fly across the road directly into your path and barely a few inches above the road, presumably because they're still quite cold and their flight muscles aren't up to temperature, but I've never seen a Jay do it before.

kilk

V Bull wrote: »

A "Blue Jay" is a native of Northern America and not resident in Ireland or Europe, I dont think that there are any records of sightings here. See photos below of a Blue Jay, totally different to our native Jay.....

Blue Jay..




Irish Jay..

yes it must have been an irish jay, it certainly wasn't as blue as the american one.