The baby blue jay didn’t look like much of a baby to me. He was as big as his mother, but his feathers were fluffy and he looked scared to death perched on the branch of a rather pathetic looking rose mallow bush. According to my husband he didn’t move from his branch the entire time he mowed the backyard, which was probably about 20 minutes. When we all moved it for a closer look, the little jay took flight. Apparently we gave him the last bit of motivation he needed to take flight. He flew so slowly I could see his wings move and if I had wanted to, I feel as if I could have reached up and caught him like you would a lightening bug.
We were all surprised and relieved that he made it to his next perch. His momma was carrying on the whole time. Those blue jays can be quite noisy if they want. So when we all went outside to eat and Baby Kitty dashed out between our legs, I figured I let my 15 year old clawless cat couldn’t do a thing but get heckled by a blue jay.
Kitty heard the blue jay right away. I could tell by how her ears perked up and then laid flat. She just sauntered to the exact place where the baby jay was catching his breath and probably trying to gain courage for his next short flight. And my aging, clawless, fluff ball of a cat is as arrogant and sassy as her hair is long. I imagined her mumbling under her kitty breath at the annoying bird in her Mexican American accent (born in San Antonio), “Joo want some of this? Good for nothing stinkin’ birds! Ai ya ya”
While I was cleaning up after lunch I heard some truly serious jay squawking and I looked out of the window to see Kitty pawing vigorously at something, I’ll assume the baby jay, in the ivy. I dashed out the door and scared the jays and kitty back to peace. How it the world did that jay get from the branch which was at least 6 feet from the ground to my the fluff balls claws? I will never know. Apparently I underestimated my cat
Baby and mama jay are fine. Kitty sauntered but with a gloat back in to the house.
I painted this little painting for my dad as his father’s day card. Like a good blue jay he has done all he can to help us soar and protect us from fluffy mean cats.