[birding] Acorn frenzy

[lisaaves at peak.org]

I have to smile whenever I see a Western Scrub-jay flying overhead these
days; most of the time it seems that they're carrying an acorn treasure to
bury somewhere, or they're purposefully heading off to find another one. 
Jays with oaks in their breeding territories are having to tolerate the
invasion of their neighbors on constant acorn-collection sorties.  It
seems like the jays who travel to adjoining territories to find acorns
usually carry them back to their home territories to bury.
Mr. Pill at work seemed to molt later than most jays, so he still has a
mangy-looking head.  His shabby plumage, odd sideways skipping gait, and
his mean temper make him quite a spectacle these days as he fruitlessly
tries to chase away the other jays in his territory, who are helping
themselves to his acorns.  He also must cram two peanuts into his bill
each time I feed him, no matter how long it takes to get both of them to
fit.  Today I had an all time high of 8 jays getting peanuts from me, soon
to return to gathering acorns from the nearby red oaks.  Only 1 crow
showed up.  Maybe that many screaming, swooping, rascally jays are just
too much, even for a crow!
Peanut Queen and her mate at Starker Park also seem a little stressed
about all the neighbor jays visiting their territory as they snap up
acorns from the red oaks planted around the duck pond.
At the herb garden at work, an Anna's Hummingbird was getting nectar from
red zinnias.  I enjoyed it when she hovered a couple of feet in front of
me and inspected me from various angles, giving her little "chip" calls,
before zooming away.
Lisa
www.neighborhood-naturalist.com