Blue jays are interesting. Very smart too.
Put a few peanuts in the shell out and watch the jays shell them...
Gray Jays are interesting too and not shy at all. They’re the most reliable for hand feeding in my experience. We dont have them around here though.
I’ve been bird watching, and critter watching for that matter, for as long as i can remember. For that reason i really dont’t consider it a hobby as much as way of life. I’ve had binocs and a bird guide sitting on my windowsill since getting my first home, just like my parents did when i was growing up. One of my bst friends is a wlidlife biologist and i i used to volunteer with him, starting over 25 years ago, for the annual bird count sponsored by CWS
Ive seen a huge change over the years in species going away and others coming around that i never saw when i was a kid. You rarely saw a bald eagle back when i was a kid and now they are ubiquitous. Same with turkey vultures. They starting showing up withun the last 20 years, or so. The coolest bird to show up fairly recently is the red cardinal. They show up in early spring, when every thing else is brown and drab, and they stand out with their bright red plumage. They are also as volcally impressive as they are visually. My biologist buddy moved away about 15 years ago and he never saw a red cardinal when he lived here.
I dont actively feed the birds in my yard anymore but i made it a bird friendly place to hangout and stick araound. I put a bunch of bird houses around the yard but only the squirrels seem to use them though.
