Blue Jay Down

When I got home from work and got out of the car, I saw one of the blue jay nestlings on the floor in the garage. At first I thought the poor thing was dead, and only when I approached did I see it was breathing. The three siblings and one of the parent birds stayed quietly on the nest. While I'm no expert at nests, this one doesn't look particularly well-shaped or sturdy. The babies aren't fledging - learning to fly - yet and it's kind of early for them to be on the floor in the garage.

I put a plastic sandwich baggie over my hand and picked up the fallen youngster. It didn't peep - it hardly moved. It clutched a small stick in its left claw, as instinctively and as endearingly as a baby holds tight to a finger. Its flight feathers, still encased in keratin sheaths, already showed their blue and black pattern. I got up on a lawn chair and set the chick at the edge of the nest. The little family still stayed quietly on the nest.

After I turned towards the house, I head a plop. Yep - that baby was back on the ground. The parent flew down to it, fixed me with its obsidian eye, squawked, "Jay! Jay!" and returned to the nest. I returned the baggie to my hand and clambered back up on the chair. As I poked at the nestling's chicken-nugget-shaped rear, trying to push it further into the nest, wishing my arm would magically grow another inch or two, something awesome happened. I touched the parent bird and s/he didn't move.

It was just an accidental brush of the tailfeathers, but remarkable nonetheless. As a wildlife rehabilitation volunteer in oHIo, I touched many animals. But they were already captured, and often very sick or badly injured. Handling the wildlife was done with care and protective clothing. For a wild animal, touch = death by predator, and no matter how sick or hurt, they will fight with every defence they have. It's a rare day when a vital, healthy wild creature tolerates the nearness of a meddling, stinky human, especially in the presence of its young.

I hope the nugget stays put for a while, at least until the time has come to fledge, which I anticipate should be in another two weeks or so.

ps. Michigan's first confirmed West Nile virus case this year was a blue jay found in Washtenaw County. I'm looking after my neighbors, but I'm afraid there's not much I can do.