Be Quiet! I Am Trying To Nap!

  Normally, I would say that blue jays are not my favorite birds.  They are raucous, eat my fruit and do not play well with the smaller songbirds.  I prefer those who can get along with other critters and let things stay happy on the Bayou. I will say, however, that occasionally the birds are good to have around the place.  In their defense, they do eat a lot of bugs, chase off the crows that feast on other birds eggs and make lots of noise.  Yep, that same cacophony that is often irritating, can also be a lifesaver of sorts.  The blue jays are the alarm system of the avian world.  Let one snake slither into sight and the alarms can be heard for miles.  Let a hawk, fly overhead and every bird and small critter knows to take cover because of the shrill yells.  Let a sleepy owl be discovered and it has to find a new snoozing spot because the jays scream bloody murder.  They do their part of protecting critters from a possible predator.

  This morning, I was sitting in the rocking chair looking out over the calm waters of the Bay.  The morning air was cool coming through the screen doors and I had a mug of hot coffee in hand.  All was right with the world or at least with my little spot of paradise.  Then, one jay started yelling breaking the silence of the morn.  Within fifteen seconds another blue jay joined the fun.  Then another and another and yet another.  Soon a dozen or more jays were in the top of a nearby pine tree.  They were joined by a bevy of other birds.  Woodpeckers, thrashers, wrens, cardinals...all were there to see what the trouble was and to help scare it from the area.

  Ok, so curiosity got the best of me and I left my comfy spot to go investigate what was causing all of the commotion.  It took me a few moments to find the jays' target but, just as I thought, it was a potential predator.  A beautiful owl was perched on a high limb in the same pine tree.  With my presence, the jays soon decided to depart which encouraged the other songbirds to go about their business as well.  The owl, on the other hand, stared at me groggily as if to say "May I please get some sleep?"  Yep, Mr, Owl! Take a nap!