Rob Sandelin wrote:

> As part of a ornithology project I once climbed up into a hemlock tree
> to a Crows nest. Never got to the nest as the adults both attacked so
> violently I had to rappel for my life. This was in a local park, and
> for the next month, I could not walk unmolested in that park. 3-5
> crows would squawk and have a fit, dive on me, yelling for help. One
> day I was the center of attention of 8 crows. It was not unlike
> Hitchcock's, the birds. The amazing thing to me is that they
> recognized ME, ( or perhaps my car). I wore different clothing, once I
> tried a wig which didn't fool them either. To this day I can't go into
> Priest Point Park without looking over my shoulder although I have
> long since gotten off the wanted posters in the corvids post office.


Steller's jays will also recognize individual people and even individual
cats. I taught my cat not to harass birds. They can come within 16" and
he will not touch them (closer than that and I have to give him a verbal
reminder). I don't encourage the birds to come close, but they like to
investigate the yard and the deck where he lies in the sun.

In contrast, the cat next door is a vigorous predator of birds (he kills
up to two a week when the fledglings come out) and the owners haven't
discouraged him from hunting. When the Steller's jays visit the
neighborhood, they squawk and howl at the neighbor's cat and follow him
from the top of the fence shouting and complaining until he finds cover.
They never squawk at my cat. They'll sometimes sit on the fence or deck
rail and preen themselves while he's taking a sun bath two feet below them.

The neighbor's cat is black and white and my cat is gray-brown and white
and a bit larger, but they don't look dramatically different.

I found this behavior so remarkable at first that I began videotaping
it. Now I've come to know the jays better and to respect their visual
spatial ability, their intelligence, and their acuity. Some of the birds
in the local flock can even read my body language. Amazing birds.

Mya
north of Bothell, WA
mailto:myabell at 4-sightmedia.com