Cyanocitta cristata, the blue jay, one of the most common, most colorful, most aggressive, and loudest birds found east of the Rockies. And, evidently, they’ll eat just about anything.
This one is going for the cat kibble.
It doesn’t like me lounging on the porch, but it sneaks in anyway.
This one, meanwhile, has cached a chicken thigh bone, which it hammers away at, presumably to get the marrow.
I could have sworn I simmered all the goodness out of that bone.
These pictures were taken in two different spots in Massachusetts, but I usually hear piercing call of the jays as I walk down the streets of my Brooklyn neighborhood.
UPDATE: The 50th anniversary of To Kill A Mockingbird is noted with this eponymous sentence from the book: “Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” It’s a safe bet most of us have forgotten that first clause. Shame on you, Atticus.
Backyard and Beyond 
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