Most birds leave Muskoka to escape winter but blue jays are hardy birds that often stay with us even through the harshest winters. This one fluffed himself up to keep warm in a tree behind our house. Some winters they migrate south, others they don't. Nobody knows why blue jays don't stick to a regular predictable migration schedule like other birds. Blue jays must have good reasons for doing what they do, since they are known to be among the smartest of all birds.
This year we have quite a few blue jays staying around our house for winter. I often see them watching our windows from nearby trees. The birds sometimes appear to be waiting to see if we'll put any interesting treats outside for them. They love large seeds and nuts such as acorns, corn, sunflower seeds and peanuts. And they might like breakfast cereal too since this one closely watches me eat mine every morning!
