Mastodawn

Evolving connection to our local blue jays after 2 years of sharing peanuts them:

*When I see the jays in the morning, I lightly tap on the window just to let them know I see them

*Through the summer they would get near me and quietly chatter (not the ear busting blue jay shriek) just to let me know they are there and they wouldn’t mind at all if I gave them peanuts.

*The feeder was taken down for a few days recently because the Sky Jerks™ (magpies) have been aggressively knocking it off the window while trying to get peanuts.

*Just now… heard the quiet light tapping pattern that *I* use to acknowledge *them* (jays)… oh hello!

Their message was pretty clear this morning - “Good morning human. Peanuts would be nice”.

Just wanted to share the cool experience I had with the jays this morning.

#bluejay #birds #birdwatching #backyardBirding #birdsofmastodon #BirdsOfFediverse #birding #alberta #albertaBirds #birdStory #yyc #calgary #birdsOfCalgary #birdsOfAlberta

Lisa Miguez Sep 22, 2025

Seeking wisdom from anyone familiar with bird banding and experience with reporting a bird band number… more specifically, I would like to know if it’s possible to report a partial number?

The backstory: I've been observing a family of Swainson’s hawks in our neighbourhood for the last 9 years. A new male replaced the patriarch in 2023. He is banded.

Despite my best photographing efforts, I have only confirmed the last 5 digits of the number, plus one other digit for sure (but unsure of its position). He will surely be leaving soon on his epic migration to Argentina.

I would love to know his story. Am I out of luck?

#birds #birdBanding #alberta #birdsOfAlberta #birdRinging #birdOfPrey #SwainsonsHawks #reportAbirdBand #birdIdentification #yyc #calgary #calgaryWildlife #albertaWildlife #birdsOfCanada #birdsOfCalgary #raptors #birdsofmastodon