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Re: Blue Jay Behavior
- To: carolinabirds@duke.edu
- Subject: Re: Blue Jay Behavior
- From: stevep@receptor-biol.duke.edu (Stephen J. Perry)
- Date: Mon, 21 May 2001 08:55:45 -0400
- In-Reply-To: <9.15bb0982.2839e619@aol.com>
- References: <9.15bb0982.2839e619@aol.com>
- Sender: carolinabirds-owner@acpub.duke.edu
>Today I observed a Blue Jay chasing a gray squirrel. The jay pursued the
>squirrel up and down two widely separated trees and only gave up the chase
>after it had chased the squirrel about 100 feet. I can only assume that the
>squirrel disturbed its nest in some way. Does anyone know if squirrels eat
>eggs?
>
>Dianne Witzell
>High Point, NC
>mdwitzell@aol.com
Yes they do. In the UK where the grey (UK spelling) squirrel was
introduced from the New World, it is one of the main bird egg
predators, as well as having out-competed our timid native red
squirrels so that they remain only in very isolated pockets on small
islands and in remote mountainous regions. The level of egg eating
might not be so high here in the US, as I think the UK populations of
squirrels are at very high densities and use more "unusual" food
sources in order to survive. Every spring my father loses up to 80%
of the bird nests in his garden in Sussex, to a combination of
squirrels, magpies and crows.
--
Steve Perry
Receptor Biology Lab, Duke Uni Med Center, Durham, NC
stevep@receptor-biol.duke.edu