Jay (Garrulus glandarius)
Jays are members of the crow family which includes Crows, Rooks, Jackdaws, Magpies and Coughs). Like all members of the Corvidae they are intelligent birds. They have a mixed diet of insects, nuts, acorns and will also eat the nestlings of other birds. A pair of spotted flycatchers nested on my shed in a rather exposed place. Unfortunately this did not go unnoticed by the local jays which attacked the nest and ate the nestlings just before they were due to fledge. Jays are common in Rannoch where they inhabit woodland, whether deciduous or coniferous. They are famed for eating acorns which they will stash in the autumn so that they can eat them through the winter. Inevitably they forget where some of them are and so probably are helpful in spreading oaks.
Jays nests are often in the forks of branches where they make a nest of sticks.
Often the first way that you become aware of jays is on hearing their harsh alarm calls - a kind of screech. You may see their white rumps as they fly away through the trees but you are unlikely to see the other more colourful parts of the Jay's plumage. Like many woodland birds jays have relatively short broad wings which allow manoeuvrability through the branches. Jays often travel in small flocks of about six individuals. Jays are not found in the north of Scotland and so Rannoch must be towards the northern edge of the UK range.
Jays are rare visitors to my bird table where they prove to be nervous and will fly off if they detect movement. They are preyed upon by goshawks although perhaps not often as goshawks are rare. A female sparrow hawk can also take a jay.