How to Attract Blue Jays

"Wait!" you say, "blue jays may be pretty, but they are also loud, querulous, chase other birds away and even eat the eggs and young of other species." Still, if you are a blue jay advocate, here's how to get them to your feeder for a great photo op (especially when they're next to cardinals or goldfinches!).

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Suet
• Sunflower seeds
• Peanuts
• Platform bird feeder

1. Erect a large platform feeder that is easy for blue jays to land on.
2. Fill the feeder with peanuts. You can use whole, raw peanuts, peanut kernels or peanut halves.
3. Include sunflower seeds. The birds will eat whole seeds, but shelled seeds are a special treat.
4. Hang a suet feeder, especially in winter when the birds are looking for high-energy foods.

Tips & Warnings

• You can encourage blue jays to come to your yard by planting the kinds of trees that they feed from. For example, they are extremely fond of acorns, so oak trees would be a good choice. Other trees that attract them include pine, birch and hazelnut. Blue jays will also eat berries, so berry-producing shrubs or bushes will also attract them.
• Blue jays often take seeds away from their food source and hide them for later consumption. Since they seldom retrieve all the seeds they have "planted," new trees may sprout from acorns or other tree seeds.
• Blue jays are pigs! They won't demurely take a single peanut from your feeder, but will stuff their mouth with as many as they can carry. This is not easy on your peanut budget!