The Friendly Scrub Jay

Out here the blue jays are called Western Scrub Jays. Yesterday in Big Morongo Canyon Preserve in Morongo Valley we were hiking on the Desert Willow Trail and while stopping to look at something we discovered this little guy sitting next to us in a tree. He was so close and unafraid, we didn't know what to make of it.

We traveled a little further and stopped at a bench on the trail to have our lunch. Suddenly the little scrub jay was there with us. We realized he was not afraid of people and actually sought us out. It was obvious that people have been feeding him.

We decided to share our lunch with him. He would sit on a branch just above our heads and then when we put bits of bread, dried fruit and apple out on a log next to us he would jump down and eat them or take them and hide them in nearby places, either burying the scraps under the dirt, or in the case of the dried pineapple, in the crevices of a nearby tree. He was so tame he ate from our hands. It was a magical and memorable experience.

If you find yourself hiking that trail, look for this little one, and be sure to take care of him.