The first few were taken with the DA*60-250

I know you've all been wondering, "what do Gray Jays eat?"

They eat cheese



They eat bread...



They eat black oil sunflower seeds



Don't you feel like saying "Don't talk with your mouth full.!!" ?
If they had mayonaise I wonder if they'd make sandwiches...



I've never seen squirrels eat cheese, but I've never offered it to them, who knows if they like cheese?



I also got a few owl shots with the A-400







Open wide and say "whooooooo".

[normhead]

Excellent shots! I've never seen a jay with a mouth full of cheese... The owl shots are very impressive.

You wouldn't believe how these jays are attracted to cheese. Put a bit in your hand and hold it up and you'll have Jays come by, in almost any part of this part of the park. If there is a pair nearby, they'll find you. I learned that from one of the birders who comes up to the park on occasion.

[Jimbo]

Thank you for sharing these beautiful image sNorm. Love the owl shots. JIM

[normhead]

Thank you for sharing these beautiful image sNorm. Love the owl shots. JIM

Thanks for commenting Jimbo

[LaurenOE]

Very nice!

[Bob Harris]

I was on a hike, and took off my snowshoes for a bit of a rest and these guys turned up and start chirping... I was all by myself on a the edge of a frozen fen.Me and my two little grey buddies.



It pays to be friendly, I traded a couple of jokes with a 4 year old in the parking lot of the Spruce Bog Trail. At the end of the exchange I gave her dad what was left of my bag of black oil sunflower seeds, and told him where the chickadees would come eat out of her hand. I mentioned that he'd seen some cars stopped and people looking at an owl, a few minutes before a couple miles back down the road. It wasn't on my way home, but I went anyway, and the owl was still there when I got there. If I hadn't taken the time to joke with a 4 year old, I would have missed out.

You're a kind man Norman Johnston to spend time with the little girl.

[normhead]

Very nice!

Thanks Lauren

You're a kind man Norman Johnston to spend time with the little girl.

I don't know which one of us was kinder Bob, I find 4 year olds are quite refreshing to talk to. It's more likely she was just humoring the old geezer.

[charliezap]

a great series Norm.I noticed the band on the 3rd shot. Who's doing the tracking?--charliezap

[Den]

Wonderful shots!!! You and Tess share such great photography. Thanks.

[normhead]

a great series Norm.I noticed the band on the 3rd shot. Who's doing the tracking?--charliezap

The people involved are Prof. Ryan Norris, Department of Integrative Biology; Brian Kielstra, an undergraduate student in the Department of Geography; and Dan Strickland, retired chief naturalist of Algonquin Park in Ontario and a pile of undergrads from the University of Guelph.

I actually had the opportunity to help a couple find these birds as they came looking for them right after I took these pictures, and I ran into them in the parking lot, getting out of their University of Guelph vehicle.

A recent report of their work is here.
Gray Jays' Winter Survival Depends On Food Storage, Study Shows | University of Guelph

Wonderful shots!!! You and Tess share such great photography. Thanks.

Thanks for the comment Den

[normhead]

Excellent shots! I've never seen a jay with a mouth full of cheese... The owl shots are very impressive.

Here's the guy I met in the park, for those of you who like Owl shots...

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