Just when you think everything is perfect…

Jayson has been scarce today, but finally visits the nest – but no bugs – what’s up with that!?  Peck, peck a little back & forth peck – doesn’t look particularly friendly.  What?  Are they fighting?  Do they need some friendly counseling in these stressful last few days of waiting?  Jayne gives him the brush off.

About 10 minutes later, another visit, no insect, but he is definitely bugging Jayne.  They exchange catty little pecks, face to face, back & forth, getting rather aggressive.  He leaves, peeved…

He’s baaack.  Again with the lack of insects!  …(Apparently this is NOT Jayson.  He almost always brings bugs or slugs or worms.  At first glance, kinda hard to tell since they all wear the same thing, but I’ll call this guy  “Ruder”, as in – IntRuder.)

He sneaks up, behind Jayne this time, bobbing, weaving, picking his way towards the nest.  And THEN!  Whap, Bam, Pow! P#@%cking, pecking, goes for the tail, pecks, pecks goes in for close quarters pecking – grabs her tail, yanks!  Pecks, yanks!  &p#**x@!

Jayne levitates vertically, spins 180 degrees to face Ruder & pecks right back, hard, harder – the fight escalates.  HARD *&#%#^! Peck! P<c&#s! Jayne crouches back down onto the eggs, refusing to leave the nest!

Ruder won’t quit – he moves in, jumps on top of Jayne with manic pecking, wings aflutter, Jayne stands up, wings beating, beating – overbalancing – pecking flailing pecking, P %*^#x! pecking pecking! In the blink of an eye, it’s over.  Ruder turns around in the tiny space between the thorny rose canes & squeezes out between two branches.

The entire ordeal was shocking! Nothing good can come of this.  (I’ve seen Jayne & Jayson run off other Scrub Jays from the territory in the last few weeks, but always out in the yard.  They’ve always been run off before they get close to the nest or the roses.)   I am worried – there is NO WAY the eggs could survive that melee intact.

She checks the nest & settles in…she smooshes, fluffs, turns the eggs, sits…

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After an hour or so, “twiiirp”…Jayne meets Jayson at the tree stump.  I think that they are discussing the big drama.

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