Many peoples' hearts desire is to see a Blue Jay

 

From "The Grass is Always Greener" department:  
A survey of casual birdwatchers from other parts of the world asked which American bird they most wanted to see during their visit here. For its striking appearance, unusual behavior and notable songs, the winner (by quite a large margin!) was the Blue Jay.

Blue Jays

Blue Jay (juvenile)

 
The Blue Jay belongs to a group of birds called the Corvidae family. Members are known for their intelligence. They can’t calculate the area of a triangle or name the capital of Nicaragua, but Crows, Ravens, Magpies and Jays are at the top in terms of avian evolution, reasoning and use of simple tools. (Wow, I resisted the childish urge to say “bird brain”)

 

 

 

A stamp that actually works!       What’s known as “Duck stamps” are for sale at post offices and via the internet, Begun almost 50 years ago, the proceeds help purchase land for the National Wildlife Refuge System (including nearby Hagerman N.W.R.). With this year’s proceeds the program was able to buy over 19,000-acres of wetland, prairie and other bird habitat with over $4-million.

Blue Jay

 

 

 

OWEN YOST, in addition to being a blogger, is a licensed Landscape Architect emeritus who has lived and worked in north Texas for over 30 years. He is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award of the Native Plant Society of Texas, and is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Federation of Landscape Architects, National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon Society. His office is at Yost87@charter.net in Denton.