Jay

 

Jay (Garrulus glandarius)

Jays are beautiful, colourful members of the crow family. Though they are widespread in UK woodlands, apart from Northern Scotland, they are quite shy and rarely visit gardens. We have been fortunate through the years to see them, usually in October, when they are foraging for food, particularly acorns. They cache their finds to provide food in leaner times, but do not always return for them, and that is how oak saplings can be found in unexpected places.

The rapid spread of oaks after the last Ice Age is attributed to this caching habit. Before oak trees were planted commercially, jays were the main means of distribution. A single bird might spread more than a thousand acorns annually.

The last Ice Age, known as the Last Glacial Period, began about 100,000 years ago.

In addition to acorns, jays eat insects, seeds and occasionally small mammals, nestlings, and eggs. They have unmusical voices but are clever mimics, copying the songs of other birds and common noises in the environment, like dripping taps, or people whistling.