ABCs of Birds - **J**

[dale]

With apologies for jumping the gun, I will follow Patti's corrupting example and start a new letter a bit early...I can't post later, and I want to start the Js with JAYS!

I'm sure lots of people will have JAYS to post - there have already been some...

I took these (and a zillion more, thanks to someone's leftover french fries) in Big Sur.

JAYS, steller's jays and california scrub jays

dale

[dale]

one more...

the artist formerly known as JACKASS PENGUIN

Taken at Boulders Beach near Cape Town SA. Ignore the jackass in the red hat.
 
The African Penguin ... is found on the south-western coast of Africa, living in colonies on 24 islands ...Because of their donkey-like braying call they were previously named Jackass Penguins. (wikipedia)

Dale

[Donna]

Speaking of Jay's, remember Henry from a few years back? He's the Blue Jay my dad rescued in his yard when he was a baby. Henry was like a dog, he followed my dad and me where ever we went. I was painting down the road from my dads house when suddenly, there's Henry, he found us. He landed on my shoulder and wouldn't leave us alone while we were painting.

Henry posing for a pic.



I always carried peanuts during Henry time.

We thought Henry would never leave as he had imprinted on us and he stayed around for about 9 weeks after he learned to fly. When I walked up the path to my dads house, Henry would land on my head, out of no where. He waited for my dad every morning, sitting on the porch railing, waiting for his peanuts. One morning, when my dad went out to greet Henry, he wasn't there. This was in late Oct. We like to think that he found himself a girl and lived happily ever after.



I miss you Henry, where ever you may be. 

[Patti from Kentucky]

With apologies for jumping the gun, I will follow Patti's corrupting example and start a new letter a bit early...

dale

In my defense (I'm not sure I should admit this, since I'll trade being corrupt for being a ditz), but I am traveling and got my time zones confused!

But...to follow Dale's lead as well, here's a Blue Jay contribution.  Even though Donna's story is much nicer, this is one of my favorite backyard jay photos.

[gayle]

Jay

I will add the jays that frequented my feeder!  Both are welcome, if raucous, visitors.  The scrub jay has a rounded head and the Steller's has a glorious dark crested head in its breeding plumage.  I often found peanuts buried in planters.

Gayle

[gayle]

Java Sparrow

It is also known as Java Finch, Java Rice Bird and Java Temple Bird.  Like many birds in Hawaii, The Java Sparrow is an introduced bird.  It travels in large flocks.  I found them on the Kona Coast on the big island where the hotels have set up feeders.  In their native Indonesia, they wreak havoc on crops, particularly rice.

Gayle

[gayle]

Jacana

The jacana has huge feet and walks around on floating vegetation.  Once the female lays the eggs, her job is finished and the male takes care of incubation and chick rearing.  This is a Wattled Jacana in Costa Rica.

Gayle

[Annette]

Jabiru

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jabiru

http://tinyurl.com/2uuftzy

[MAK]

Junco

Dark-eyed Juncos are neat, even flashy little sparrows that flit about forest floors of the western mountains and Canada, then flood the rest of North America for winter. They’re easy to recognize by their crisp (though extremely variable) markings and the bright white tail feathers they habitually flash in flight. One of the most abundant forest birds of North America, you’ll see juncos on woodland walks as well as in flocks at your feeders or on the ground beneath them. (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)

[Annette]

Jungle Crow

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jungle_Crow

[Kris G.]

Jackdaw: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackdaw

[MAK]

Northern Jacana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedi

The Northern Jacana or Northern Jaçana (Jacana spinosa) is a wader which is a resident breeder from coastal Mexico to western Panama, and on Cuba, Jamaica and Hispaniola. It sometimes breeds in Texas, USA, and has also been recorded on several occasions as a vagrant in Arizona.

The jacanas are a group of wetland birds, which are identifiable by their huge feet and claws which enable them to walk on floating vegetation in the shallow lakes that are their preferred habitat. They are found worldwide within the tropical zone

[Aafke]

Thanks Kris for the Jackdaw

J is for Jackdaw

The Jackdaw is a very smart bird, Konrad Lorenz observed  their behavior and wrote a great book about them, also about other birds.

You really have to read this book, it's called: " King Solomon's Ring"

The book's title refers to the legendary Seal of Solomon, a ring that supposedly gave King
Solomon the power to speak to animals. Lorenz claims, with only a little exaggeration, that he likewise achieved this feat of communication with several species. He accomplished this by raising them in and around his home and observing their behavior. King Solomon's Ring describes the methods of his investigation, and his resulting findings about animal psychology.

In this time of year the Jackdaws came together at special places for the night. It's amazing to see and hear thousands of them.
greetings Aafke

[dale]

Lorenz is wonderful, Aafke, I second that recommendation!

I LOVE Gayle's photograph of Jacana-in-the-leaves!
The picture MAK posted gives a good sense of the HUMUNGOUS feet that in Gayle's photo are busy wading.

dale

[Mardean]

To add to the Jays that Dale, Donna, Gayle, and Patti posted . . .

Here are some of my photos (and antics) of the blue jays that I had this summer.

http://iowa2nh.blogspot.com/2010/06/bue-jays.html

--Mardean