Gray Jay (Perisoreus canadensis)

Gray Jay (Perisoreus canadensis) 

Gray Jay (Perisoreus canadensis)

I saw this gray jay hiking on the Twin Sisters Trail in the Rocky Mountain National Park on September 5th at 6PM about a mile from the trailhead.  I was sitting on the ground in one spot for a while and the jay flew up to inspect what was going on, probably looking for food.  I was in a crazy amount of pain from what appears to only have been a sprained ankle, but being able to see this bird somehow made it better.  Or at least it was an interesting way to pass the time while waiting for mountain rescue, and my sister had to take the pictures because I was a little incapacitated.  Yes, even in the middle of a little mountain emergency I still take the time to look at birds.  The cool thing about these birds is that they mate for life (but if one of the mates dies or goes missing they will find another mate).  An interesting thing about the offspring of these mated individuals is that once they are out of the nest, but still living with their parents, they kick the less dominant offspring out of the nesting area where it most likely won't be able to survive on its own. The dominant offspring are the ones that go on to live with the aid of their parents.  Gray jays are usually found in forest regions where there aren't that many people, so sorry all you city people.  You won't be seeing these jays anywhere around.  You can read more about these jays here, and even though this isn't a strict example of siblicide, you can read more about siblicide here.