For the past few days I have been looking for a "gripping" topic to write about.......... and only this afternoon did it dawn on me that here before my very eyes was unfolding a tale worthy of both human as well as scientific interest. Now we all know how much Fluff loves and is devoted to wildlife and its well-being ............feeding everybody and anybody with wings or paws who shows up at our back door. Among our feathered visitors the ducks and bluejays receive her special attention and affection. These last three years Fluff has been sporadically leaving out peanuts along the railing top around the verandah for the jays so I began encouraging her set up a controlled environment wherein to attract and train the jays to do her bidding !! And the ideal spot would be the window-sill just behind where she spends so much time communicating with all her friends and readers through her blog and other creative activities. Her working hypothesis with the jays was " if you feed them , they will come !"...... applicable likewise to long-lost relatives and free-loading friends !........ and they DID come and are STILL flocking to our back window............ as long as there is food on the sill they come early and leave late !! Fluff has trained the jays !! Bravo !!
Of late I've noticed strange happenings though........... one big male jay alights on a branch just outside the window to Fluff's right , struts its wares a bit , primps , ruffles and fluffs up its delicate white down ...... flaunts its colours and topnotch or mohawk .........and Fluff is so awed and overcome by its beauty that she gets up , opens the window and spreads out another row of peanuts. At other moments ..... a blustery rainy day .... or a cold windy day........ the bloody jay just roosts there in full view ..... shivering so to speak and putting on his most miserable look........and Fluff caves ! She grabs a handfull of peanuts from her giant bag , slides the window open and lines up the loot......... maybe some 10 items all told ! The woman has a good and generous heart !
10 minutes later the peanuts are all gone and the foxy jay is back outside the window sitting there on the closest limb and looking utterly down and out ....at the end of his tether ........ that 'can you spare me a dime , buddy ?' look in his eye......... and Fluff caves again !!
The moral of the story is that Fluff set out to train the jays .........and ended up in turn being programmed by the jays herself !!
P.S. I wrote this blog two days ago and since then I have noticed that even the chickadees are now starting to mimic the damn jays by putting on that forsaken look when perched just outside our window !!
Once is Spain we saw a dog outside Alhambra who walked with limp. But only when he was looking for handouts from the tourists. *lol*
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