Guard your babies from blue jays!

[ll]

I just witnessed a blue jay in my yard attacking a young fledgling cardinal.
I think the parents, who live and nest in our yard, were teaching it to hunt --
I heard alot of screeching and saw fluttering in the hedges,
ran over and he had it pinned down.
The parents together couldn't stop him.
He got a good blow to the head - saw blood.
Made a nest in a hanging planter and hung the baby up in a high bush for the parents.
They were watching me the whole time (we are friends, they've lived here for years.)
I don't think it's going to make it

I wish my hens were out, they could have helped before he dealt such a blow.

 

[SnowPeeOstrichU]

If the hens were out, they might've gotten a little hurt, too, though. Too bad, it's sad seeing nature take its course sometimes, and we wish cute things didn't get killed. The cardinal or whatever got hurt might be in shock?

 

[ll]

Yes, probably went into a bit of shock - I can't tell if it's still breathing, I checked on it and the parents are near the nest I put up. Will check again in a little while.

 

[devora]

Jays, the nasty bullies of the bird world.

 

[CAjerseychick]

My Jays steal my dog food (my dog likes to carry her bowl out to the yard and leaves it there), but bullies that they are they are very territorial and between them and the crows, the Hawk that appeared one day has not been seen since, something I had not considered before-- that your resident birds may be a deterrent to Hawks....

 

[K-12 Chickens]

I have never witnessed a Blue Jay attack a fledgling of another species, but, as your story showed, it is something they will definitely do. Blue Jays are helpful though, as they alert my hens to nearby hawks. My girls have even learned to know the difference between certain Blue Jay calls; ones that are loud and alarming usually mean a bird-of-prey is close and sends the girls running for cover.

 

[ll]

I have read about blue jays keeping larger birds away or warning the neighborhood ...
but I must say now when I hear the sounds of the blue jays, I'll never feel the same.
Of course the baby didn't make it, buried it the same evening.
The cardinal parents hung around the area for 2 days, and our neighborhood mockingbird, who also witnessed the attack, was also hanging around the area for 2 days. It was so tragic for all of us!
I wish I never saw this happen.

Good luck to all the little babies out there, I think this easily could have been done to a chick - bantam or standard size, that wasn't being watched by a momma hen. Believe me when I say the parent cardinals were giving it their all to get rid of the blue jay -- I ran right into the middle of the ordeal. "He" didn't even stop attacking the baby until I screamed "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!!"

-hugs everyone-