Jays fly in to store up acorn harvest

You would associate a jay as being a woodland bird species, sometimes venturing into gardens and parks in more built up environments. October and November are the months when you will see jays as they forage for acorns, their favoured food.

Some years in Kent we have mini invasions of jays, which originate from the continent and are most likely to come from Scandinavian and Baltic countries. The reason for this movement of jays is usually down to a failure of the acorn crop, forcing birds to be on the move.

Jays are in the crow family, but are quite a distinct bird with a coffee brown plumage, a blue flash in the wings, white and black markings, with rounded wings and a long tail. The flight usually is a bounding, with the rump held high and the tail held slightly downwards.

They make a harsh screech call and have specialised in eating acorns in the autumn, which they bury to store for the winter, similar to squirrels. A study estimated that a single jay could bury up to 5,000 acorns in one autumn, which if you work out the British population roughly equates to 1,700 million acorns being buried across our woodland each year. The diet of the jay also includes bird’s eggs and nestlings in the woods they breed in and a range of insects and carrion as well. But, they are predominantly vegetarian.

For more information contact Owen Leyshon, Romney Marsh Countryside Partnership, telephone 01797 367934 or log on to www.rmcp.co.uk