Lesley the Bird Nerd

One of the joys of knowing individual birds is getting to watch them grow into adulthood. This is Casey...the same jay who accidentally ended up in my room one morning last fall. He hatched in the spring of 2024 and has been part of my group ever since. 💙🐦

At first, I wasn’t sure if Casey was male. He was so quiet and reserved that I had nothing to go on. It wasn’t until this spring, when I finally heard him give the males’ “squeaky-gate” call, that the mystery was solved. He started out as a small, timid jay, but he’s grown into a striking bird who now holds his own place in the local territory.

This spring, Casey even found a mate and built a nest, but something must have gone wrong...I never saw his partner again, nor any nestlings. Still, Casey stayed, and in the months since he’s been developing his own personality. In some ways, he reminds me of Sweet Blue, another jay I watched grow up. Casey has even adopted Sweet Blue’s habit of flicking his wings while giving a whiny call whenever other jays are around.

Though still on the quieter side, Casey has grown more vocal and has shown me some funny quirks. If I hand him a peanut, he’ll either dart off and quickly return, or stay put, tipping his head back like he’s trying to shove the peanut deeper into his throat pouch just so he can grab another one. And sure enough, when I offer him a second, he somehow manages to wedge both into his beak.

Watching him change from a shy little bird into a confident jay has been fascinating, like getting a front-row seat to a wild being gradually maturing. What fascinates me most is how much personality shines through.💙🐦🥰

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21 hours ago | [YT] | 1,811

Lesley the Bird Nerd

Blue with his girl, Miss Pretty (front) 🐦💙
25 Blue Jay questions answered https://youtu.be/VndKdMKXY1c

2 days ago (edited) | [YT] | 2,470

Lesley the Bird Nerd

Lovely Sweet Blue with his lovely mate, Chloe in their beautiful wooded territory.💙💙 Interesting things about Blue Jays 🐦👉 https://youtu.be/VndKdMKXY1c

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3 days ago | [YT] | 2,238

Lesley the Bird Nerd

Early morning photos of lovely mated Blue Jay pair Sweet Blue and Chloe. 💙🐦25 questions answered about Blue Jays https://youtu.be/AP-rrEFJTXM?si=YKxN5...

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1 week ago (edited) | [YT] | 2,375

Lesley the Bird Nerd

Blue just after giving his mate, Miss Pretty a food offering 💙🐦 25 questions about Blue Jays answered https://youtu.be/AP-rrEFJTXM

1 week ago (edited) | [YT] | 2,769

Lesley the Bird Nerd

This is a great video from ‪@BirdsWalkingDown‬ for those interested in how to set up a Blink camera for their own Nest Box.

1 week ago | [YT] | 93

Lesley the Bird Nerd

Sweet Blue looking like a punk rocker 😅 🎸 I love how Blue Jay crests go when it rains a lot 💙🐦

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1 week ago | [YT] | 2,541

Lesley the Bird Nerd

The comments many of you left made me feel so good. This beautiful experience was a blessing https://youtu.be/oDQ-DvmrMAg

1 week ago | [YT] | 270

Lesley the Bird Nerd

The Story of the Nest Cavity with no roof - https://youtu.be/oDQ-DvmrMAg?si=Iha5J... A cavity nest with no roof, a summer with no rain, and lessons I didn’t expect to find. It's been a long time since I've had such a touching experience like this. I hope you will stop by and following along on my daily journey as I tell their story. 💙🐦

2 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 1,603

Lesley the Bird Nerd

Boy oh boy do I have a story to tell you. Remember in my last video where I mentioned about a chickadee nest with no roof?  Well tomorrow night I'll be sharing the whole story in a new video along with unexpected lessons I gained along the way.🐦💙
The chickadee (Ada) in the photo is the one the story will center around.

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 2,351