Stellar jays share moments — for a price

DEAR EDITOR:

I so enjoy the visitors to my back yard — quail, two stellar jays and the resident squirrel.

Of course, I put out shelled peanuts and seeds to entice them. Usually, just finishing up my breakfast, the jays will appear on the trellis out back; or, when I go into my bedroom and turn on the light, they will appear in the big tree right there and let me know they have come for their peanuts. I am well trained. I go downstairs and put out a handful on the counter right there. The other day, this usual occurrence took place — down I go, put out a handful of the shelled peanuts, come inside and stand behind the glass sliding door. Right away, the bigger one swooped down from the trellis, grabbed a peanut and went to a nearby tree. I waited to see if the other one would come, but — oops — the first one is back with the peanut in it’s mouth, places it back and takes another one. Unbelievably, the one it returned had a big peanut on one side, but the other side was almost flat like that peanut didn’t mature. He grabbed another one with both sides round. So funny, didn’t just dump it out back but brought it back as if to tell me to just put out the fat ones.

Lita Prince, West Kelowna