This is bird note.

When you hear a raucous call and see a bold flash of blue swoop to your bird feeder, you'll know a jay has arrived and all the little birds dart for cover.

East of the Rockies, your visitors quite likely a blue jay.

Out west, you're probably seeing a stellar's jay.

Standing on the feeder, the j peers around with beady black eyes, toss its crest, then

jabs at the sunflower seeds with its strong beak. When it's finished, it calls again and flies off.

Only then do the little birds trickle back.

These daring blue dandies sound the alarm, announcing the approach of a predator.

Often the loud call sends the predator packing.

If not, a family of Jays may gang up and mob the intruder.

And if that doesn't work, the jay may mimic the call of a bald eagle or red-tailed hawk,

birds at the very top of the pecking order

to dissuade the invader.

The alarm call of the J helps protect not only the J in its kin, but all those smaller birds too.

To compare photos of these two birds and hear them again.

Come to our website, bird note.org.

I'm Michael Stein. The