It is already Father's Day in the Philippines. Here in Northern California Fathers Day will be tomorrow and the next day will be the official first day of summer. However, since mid-May this year six Blue Jays have been frolicking with abandon in my backyard. Two are the parent birds and four are the babies. I have been feeding them with bread crumbs and rice morsels, and faithfully replacing their bird bath and water every day.
Now for a short history on the Blue Birds in My Back yard!-Posted last year about the middle of July.
"For the last four years from Spring To Fall I have bluebirds residing in my back yard here in Northern California. They nest and play in the Holly and Pyracantha Shrubs planted as screens for the small swimming pool in my backyard.
Are blue jays common in my neighborhood ? I know my yard is the only one with four or more residents of blue jays that enjoys the water and food that I give them every day. Sometimes, I forget to give them bread crumbs or rice. They will remind me by their loud chirping, jumping and coming closer to the patio. They are getting so tame, that they stay only a few feet from their feeding station when I go out to give their daily bread crumbs or rice morsel. As soon as I put the food in the feeder, they would happily consume the food and bring some to their nests for their babies. If I gave them too much food, the leftover is welcome by a couple of residents squirrels in the yard.
My neighborhood is a subdivision of older homes from 30 to 40 years old. But I do not see too many birds in the neighborhood. Our house is still very close to the mall, shops and and schools which are populated with a lot of people during the day. However, my yard is the only one with two big maples trees and one oak tree that give a lot of shade during summer.
This week has been perfect weather wise. The temperature from 12 Noon to around 6:00 PM is in the low 80's. However, as soon as the sun sets, the temperature goes down to a comfortable low 70's. By early morning, when you wake up, it is cool with temperature in the mid 60's. The temperature slowly rises, so by 12:00 noon it will be in the 80's. Today the “High” was only 83 degrees F. This morning “Low” was 65 degrees with a gentle wind, which feels very comfortable. This temperature pattern will last the whole summer, except that there will a week of three digit temperatures later in mid July or early August. When Fall comes in September, the normal Low and High in this area will be around 55 degrees and around 78 degrees respectively. By late October, my blue birds will be gone. I will not see them until the middle of April next year. I am not sure where they spend their winter months, probably in Southern California or Mexico(definitely not in the Philippines, as Macrine and I do).
The blue jays are also a favorite of my grand daughter,Carenna. When she visits us, the first thing she would ask is if she could feed the birds. I consider these birds my pets. We have pets in the Philippines, one dog, two cats and several chickens. But here in Northern California, our only pets are these blue jays that reside in my back yard during spring, summer and fall in this beautiful Northern California neighborhood every year. Do you have pets in your back yard?
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