Just about everyone, birder and non-birder alike, has experianced just
how tame Gray Jays can be. If you have ever had a picnic lunch at Mt
Rainier you surely had to gaurd you PB&J with one hand while eating it
with the other. Well, what happend to me on Tuesday (5/7) was just silly.

After work, I thought that I would drive to the top of Mount Walker to
check out the view. At the first (only) over look on the way up. I
stopped and got out of the car. In the tree and on the ground in front
of me were 12-15 Gray Jays. They hopped around on the ground 4-5 feet in
front of me. One of them made a strange alarm call and they all flew up
into the tree. After a few monments of them looking at me and me looking
at them, I had a strange notion to hold my arm out to the side, just to
see if they would move or do something. Much to my suprise, one flew
over and landed on my index finger. After seeing this, three of his
buddies did like wise and flew over and landed on my arm. Thinking that
was pretty neat, I held out my other arm. Four more jays few over and
landed on that arm. A ninth bird, few over and landed on my head. These
birds did not make a sound or do any thing but quitely sitting on my
arms and head. I did not lure them over with food, just a nice place to
sit.

I held my arms up as long as I could. As lowered my arms and the birds
flew back to the tree and resumed looking at me. The next day, I dragged
my 3 year old daughter up the mountian to see I the birds would do it
again, but, as you might guess, I could not find any jays at all.

Russell



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Russell Rogers
219 South 2nd Ave
Sequim WA 98382
(360) 582-3781
mailto:rrogers at olypen.com
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Russell Rogers
Fish and Wildlife Biologist
Point Whitney Shellfish Laboratory
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
1000 Point Whitney Road
Brinnon WA 98320
(360) 586-1498 ex 221
mailto:rogerrer at dfw.wa.gov
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