It started out so innocently, a jay following me all around the yard, but it turned to stalking Here he sits outside our bedroom window staring in	when he couldn't see me in the bedroom, he would fly to the gate outside our kitchen window and stare in. He wanted my attention!	I named him Peanut and would call to him. When he came, I began rewarding him by putting a peanut on the back step by our kitchen door.	I provided Peanut with many treats, sometimes 3 times a day. I would talk to him, call him Peanut, letting him get used to my voice & rewards.	Lttle by little, Peanut would inch closer. Day by day, I would move the peanuts further into our kitchen
i would put the big bags on peanuts on the floor with a few in front of the bag so Peanut would know there was an endless supply	it didn't take long for other steller jay's to notice Peanut was getting special treats ~ so they started to follow him into our kitchen.	This is one of my favorite photos, Peanut spotted some peanuts on our kitchen table and hopped right up to take it.	peanut doesn't squack to get my attention, he just seems to appear and wait patiently for me to go to the kitchen & open the door to invite him in.	Peanut isn't the only stalker around here! This is as close to the Goldfinch my cats get, with glass inbetween. A view of from our bedroom window.
Too bad my photos of Peanuts and this guy are blurry, as one day I took photos of both pearched on our Juneberry tree staring in our bedroom.	A Hummingbird taking nectar from the Bee balm flowers, in our garden	Oops,forgot to put the bird bath dish back on top of the stand! No doubt they were wondering where the bath was. I quickly replaced it full of water.	Winter 2006, view from our deck, behind me hang 6 seed feeders and 3 suet feeders for hungry visitors, but the bird bath is frozen.	View from our deck, late spring. I try to choose flowers that will attract birds, bees and butterflies. So far, so good!
We get to enjoy the long blooming time & later, the birds can feast on the seeds of these gorgeous tall sunflowers I think this is the best photograph I've ever taken with my new digital camera	We wondered why the blanket over our outdoor freezer was shredded, momma squirrel needed nesting material for the nest she built in the chimmney!	No suet feeder is out of reach for these squirrels. The suet feeders hang outside our kitchen window, where we are daily intertained by all visitors	I love seeing these finches outside our bedroom window, but it isn't easy to get a close up without them seeing me first! Click on photo for larger view	Taken with a flash - glass between me and the birds, but still shows some detail Click on photo for larger view
PILATED WOODPECKER ...this big boy loves my homemade suet. This was taken from inside our kitchen, looking out, thus the reflection from the glass. May 09.07 Click on photo for larger view - notice the Starling to his right. Starlings are a real nusicance - since I took these I have found a new tip to keep them off the suet feeders and it's working. (tip below in link section)	PILATED WOODPECKER, MAY 12.07 Click on photo for larger view	The glare from the windows make it seem like he is behind a bush! But it is just the relection in the glass window. Click on photo for larger view	THIS IS TEACHER, OUR PEACH FACE LOVE BIRD Click on photo for larger view

Steller's Jay are smart birds and watch residents and other creatures like hawks.  It didn't take long before at least a dozen more Jays came to our carport, hoping to get treats.  There have been only 3 Jays who have come into our kitchen, but I can easily tell Peanut from the other Jays, as he is the only one who will come so far into our kitchen.  When our children, grandchildren  & visitors have come to see us, Peanut will still come into the kitchen. He doesn't seem to mind the audience, as long as we don't move.  As for our cats, well I close both entrance doors into our kitchen when feeding Peanut.  I told our next door elderly neighbor about this pastime, and he wanted to see if he could get a Jay to come into his kitchen, so we bought him a huge bag of peanuts.  Within a week, he was training them just like I did.  I think we must have the happiest & best fed Jays in the area!  We have at least 12 bird feeders, 5 suet feeders, and two bird baths in our yard.  We plant a variety of flowers to attract and feed the many species of birds who come to our yard.  Resident birds include a large number of Chickadees, Nuthatches, Finches, & Jays.  Visiting birds include Goldfinch, at least 5 varieties of Woodpeckers, Robins, Towhees, crows, various sparrows, Titmouse, Hummingbirds, Hawks (sadly Hawks have been coming the past two years most likely to catch smaller birds. Twice this winter, a huge hawk flew into our windows. Neither Hawks were injured.)

  I did not take this amazing photograph, but add it here from my See ME!  page.  I have saved a number of birds who accidentally fly into our windows, and am always grieved by the death of those I cannot save.  I see we are not the only ones who cry when a bird dies.  If a bird flies into your window, please check on it immediately.  All you have to do is pick it up and put it in a box in quiet warm place.  Wait 15 or so minutes, gently check its body and wings.  Sometimes they are just in shock, but leaving them to lie on a cool or cold ground  will most certainly cause death.  They need to be warmed up.  I usually wrap them in a tea towel right away and carry them in.  Do not feed them.  Release them as soon as you are sure they have no broken wings and are out of shock.  The uninjured ones are usually fairly perky and anxious to be free.  If the bird is injured and you don't feel you can care for it, contact your local wild life society. I keep an old cage handy, and have kept birds until they recover as long as 3 weeks.  I named one bird Lucky, because he was in a cat's mouth, and had a very badly sprained wing. It took 3 weeks for Lucky, a Bohemian Waxwing to fly again.  I tested him, by covering the mirrors and windows in our bathroom.  He became quite tame after 2 weeks.  I fed him a lot of blue berries, and the poop was incredible!  I wanted to keep him, but knew he needed his own.  The day I released him, I saw a flock of Waxwings outside on our trees.  It was amazing because I hadn't seen any since his accident.  It was a perfect day, warm, sunny and friends for him to meet.  I released him.  He flew to a tree, and stayed only long enough to munch on the Mountain Ash berries and as suddenly as the flock appeared, they all left. Cheryl Eckstein

Links

• http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Stellers_Jay.html Facts about Steller's Jay (often mistakenly called "Blue Jays")
• http://www.chninternational.com/My%20Visit%20to%20Victoria%20Butterfly%20Garden.html  This page contains photos I took on a recent visit to Victoria Butterfly Gardens, Vancouver Island, BC Canada
• http://www.chninternational.com/Takoda,%20Doc,%20Mook,%20&%20Puss.html Photos of our family of cats
• http://www.chninternational.com/Tribute%20to%20a%20grand%20old%20lady.html My written tribute to my precious Little Puss, with additional photos, and links to articles on Squamous cell carcinoma
• http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Publications/ZooGoer/2006/3/song.cfm Very interesting articles on birds and singing, with excellent links
• http://www.birdsandblooms.com/dycon.asp?parent=34782&RefURL=&KeyCode=&tdate=&PMCode=&OrgURL= My absolute favorite magazine.  I prefer a subscription to reading it online and it is well worth the subscription price. I have learned so much from the articles; am very entertained by readers submissions, and awed by the gorgeous full color photographs. *****  This is a 5 star magazine
  
  Cheryl's pics from around the yard.

• Thank you for visiting this page.  You are visitor  since it was published March 18, 2007

Photos ©Cheryl Eckstein.

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