🚀 go-pugleaf

There's no accounting for what goes on in their minds.

My scrub jay would pick up each peanut and shake it before deciding
which one to take. Of course, he came back and got them all so it's
hard to explain why he would want to take them in any particular order.

All this hiding peanuts business is hard wired into their head. Just
like a Labrador Retreiver is hard wired to chase balls.

The other day I had a visitor on the back porch and the scrubber kept
bothering me while I was talking. So I put his jar of peanuts on the
table so he could quietly carry them off without bugging me for more.

But I forgot about his jar, and next morning I noticed that he had
carried off about a  pint and a half of peanuts. Enough to feed him for
weeks.

But the crows come and get them anyway. About four or five crows set up
a line and go across the yard. They seem to know where to look for the
scrubber's peanuts. They remind me of a line of GI's policing up
cigarette butts.

I feed the crows dog biscuits. Usually they carry them away, but last
week a young crow took one and hid it. Much like a scrubber would, but
he was more careful to mark the spot.

Scrubbers seldom mark the spot, but they have an algorithm on their
hiding. They hide in relatinship to other objects.


On October 06 1999, Old Hen <gheim@us.ibm.com> wrote:
> What a great story Linda!  Amazing what you see when you actually
> -look- isn't it?
>
> I don't have any crazy jays around my house but do have a question.
> What's the blue jay doing when he has three peanuts before him and
> picks each one up, turns it a little and puts it back down before
> deciding on one to carry off?
>
> Anyone know?