Critters of the Outdoor Campus

The Outdoor Campus Blue Jay... (click here for more Flopper Photos) -What to do if you find a baby bird   Flopper's Story by Janet Brannian, Outdoor Campus Volunteer In October of 1997, The Outdoor Campus acquired a blue jay named Flopper. Flopper was donated in hopes that she could be used as a teacher.  And he has been. With her we have been able to teach people about blue jays, imprinting, habitat loss, animal intelligence and many other topics.

Flopper was found on the ground after a storm in the spring of 1996. Blue jays are altricial, which means they hatch naked and helpless. Flopper was a fairly new hatchling when she was taken to a local veterinarian, thus requiring a tremendous amount of care. The people at the pet hospital raised Flopper intending to release her as soon as she could care for herself. Unfortunately Flopper didn't want to be released.

Some young birds learn to recognize their parents or foster parents within a few hours of hatching. The impression is so strong that it lasts throughout the bird's life. This learning process is called imprinting. It seems that Flopper thinks she belongs with people because of those early experiences, so she'll probably be with people all her life. Imprinting is one of the reasons hand-reared birds are sometimes not suitable for release.

Blue jay intelligence - Blue jays belong to the family Corvidae. Their relatives include magpies, rooks and crows. Many people consider corvids to be among the most intelligent birds. We can see that crows and jays are opportunistic and adaptable. Some studies have indicated that crows can even count. And researchers have concluded that blue jays can learn from experiences. A young jay will eat a Monarch butterfly not realizing that it will make him sick. But, after the first experience of vomiting after eating a Monarch, a blue jay will avoid monarchs and their mimics, viceroys, in the future.

Diet and Adaptability - My mother was always impressed with children who would eat anything on their plate. "Oh, he's such a good eater," she would gush. In that regard, she would love blue jays. They can and will eat anything: fruit, nuts, seeds, insects, and even the eggs and babies of other birds. Animals with a varied diet have an advantage over animals with very specific dietary needs. Animals like jays can endure environmental changes that animals with special diets could not.

Blue jay nesting habits are also flexible. They build cup nests of a variety of materials in deciduous or coniferous trees. Their nests have been found from five to fifty feet above the ground.

Blue jays have also taken advantage of human expansion. Once a resident of open forests, they now have expanded to parks and suburban areas.

Aggression - Blue jays are sort of the bullies of the bird feeders. They're noisy and bold enough to send other birds scattering. They will also dive-bomb a cat they feel is a threat to their little fledglings. Working cooperatively, they will mob owls and other birds of prey, chasing them out of their territory.

Flopper could be a long-time resident of The Outdoor Campus. Some tagged wild individuals have lived to be ten to twelve years old. The oldest blue jay  on record lived to be fifteen. Chances are we could have Flopper's company for many years. That will give us lots of time to learn about her and share what we learn with visitors.

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