Jay image copyright Liz Cutting, www.lizcuttingphotos.com
How many conkers have you collected this autumn? If you’ve got children or grandchildren then I’d guess at least thirty and if you haven’t, there is still something so pleasing about their glossy chestnut gleam that I bet there is one in your pocket from your last stroll.
Spare a thought for the busy jay, who takes collecting rather more seriously than us, focusing on tasty acorns rather than inedible conkers. Each jay will collect around 5000 acorns a year, stashing them carefully in holes and crevices until later in the winter when their incredible memory guides them back to this vital energy source.
The jay plays a major part in the spread of oak forests as they usually bury their acorns in a place that is ideal for germination and many are never found. Without jays, the mighty oak may not be such a recognisable and beloved feature of our British landscape.
The jay is actually quite a contradiction of a bird. Its flash of electric blue feathers, screeching call and jaunty swagger makes me think of a medallion wearing geezer, with a line of fake Rolex watches in his overcoat that he hopes to make a nifty profit on. In fact, the American term ‘jaywalking’ implying reckless or impertinent behaviour is linked to the bird and its perceived attitude. But in fact, despite the bling appearance and cocky demeanour, the jay is a very shy bird. Most of the year, they hide away in woodland and are very hard to see. It is only around now, when the oak trees are laden, that they emerge into more open countryside, to find the valuable bounty so vital for their survival.
And it is at this time of year that the RSPB has an increase in the number of calls received saying ‘I’ve seen an exotic bird in my garden, what could it be?’. The jay is responsible for the vast majority of these queries as they truly do look like they’ve escaped from a zoo or aviary.
A century ago, jay numbers were in decline. Their beautiful plumage resulted in them being trapped and killed and their feathers then adorned hats or were used in fly fishing. They were none too popular with gamekeepers either, due to their tendency to take the eggs or young of game birds in springtime. Today though, these custodians of the oak are doing well, continuing to puzzle amateur wildlife watchers and working hard to collect enough acorns to see them through the winter.