California Scrub-jay

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California Scrub-jay

1/19/2022

Species: California Scrub-jay
Most recent capture date: 1/08/2022

Notes: Scrub-jays really like to hold onto things with their feet. Usually we give them a pen to hold and they are content with that, but this fellow threw the pen away multiple times - not dropped the pen, THREW it - to grasp my hands while I measured him. After we released him I found that his sharp claws had drawn blood!

1 Comment

Fiber Techs San Francisco link

2/4/2026 07:08:49 am

I loved how this snapshot from the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory brings to life the spirited personality of the California Scrub‑jay in such a vivid and human way — the detail about the jay throwing away the pen to grab the researcher’s hand really highlights just how bold, curious, and tenacious these birds can be. It’s a small but powerful reminder that wildlife isn’t just data or scenery — it’s full of distinct behaviors that surprise and connect us to the natural world, and makes you want to appreciate these intelligent, feisty birds the next time you’re out in oak woodlands or even your own backyard.

About

You never know who you'll catch when you're bird banding! We wanted to share that sense of surprise, so we'll be posting here some of the birds we catch in the course of our research. Some birds will be here because they are unusual in some way; others just because they took a nice photo.

Authors

We are biologists who study landbirds in the south San Francisco Bay Area through bird banding at Coyote Creek Field Station. We have extensive training (and official permits) for our bird handling, and we prioritize bird safety over all else.

NOTES FROM THE STATION