Baby blue jays... when can they fly? (1 Viewer)

There are lots of sections. I hope this one is suitable.

I did read this already - http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=76466

My question:

This morning there were two baby blue jay fledglings in my fire pit. I assume they were pushed out of the nest or whatever and learning to fly. I returned from work this afternoon and they were still there. I put a cinder block in there so they could hop up and out if they chose to do so. They both hopped out within a minute or two and are able to "flutter-fly" I guess you could say. The parent(s) are definitely around as one adult blue jay was swooping over my head as I placed the cinder block in the pit and was making itself quite audible. They have a good amount of feathers and are not bald by any means. They fluttered off to the bushes for cover and that's where they are now.

As stated, the adult Blue Jay is overhead and will surely do the requisite feeding and watering and I see no need to interfere.

Problem is, I have a large dog which is usually outside in the yard, so my question is, how long until I can let the dog back outside? My front yard is unfenced and faces a busy street, thus is not really suitable as a long term fix. If the birds will likely be flying in a couple days, I can wait. But if it is likely to be a couple of weeks, well...

Anyone know anything about this?

I would imagine it should be less than a week and probably just a few days. Thanks for doing the right thing by keeping curious pets away for a short term.

BTW, a warm welcome to you from those of us on staff here at BirdForum :t:

That would be my guess also, just a few days.

Thanks for the tips.

Here's a bit of a follow-up:

One bird seemed to up and vanish yesterday evening. The second bird seemed to be content just below a tree in a holly bush, perched just off the ground. One of the adult Jays appeared to have stuck some oak moss in there as a makeshift nest around it, perhaps to help keep it warm?

This morning around 10am I noticed a fluttering in the tree outside the kitchen window. The bird had apparently fluttered up the side of the tree and was simply clinging on to the side of it. Only about a second after I snapped a quick pic with my cell phone did the bird leap off the tree and try to fly, only to fall to the ground and hop back to it's holly bush perch.

No sign of the other bird still.

Came home from work just now and both birds are now M.I.A. I'll give it a day before letting the pooch out back again.

If there is anything else to report I will will sure do so, otherwise, thanks for tips.

I have two Bluejays up in their nest in a tree in my front flower bed. There were 3 but we found the "runt" dead on the ground today. It hardly had any features so we figured it probably died and the other two kicked it out. The problem is we have 4 cats. We live in the rural Ozarks and these cats come and go inside and out as the please. We have not been letting them out the front door for fear of losing our Blue Jays. These birds are BIG with feathers that they try to flap. Will they fly from the tree or we they be grounded until they learn? Any advice other than don't let the cats out? Yes we are trying to keep the cats away from them but the Tom only goes to potty outdoors. He is not the problem but we do have one of the girls who is a hunter. She was a stray and learned to live of the land before she adopted us so.

I just registered to post this, thanks.

Packmanjim

Packmanjim said:

I have two Bluejays up in their nest in a tree in my front flower bed. There were 3 but we found the "runt" dead on the ground today. It hardly had any features so we figured it probably died and the other two kicked it out. The problem is we have 4 cats. We live in the rural Ozarks and these cats come and go inside and out as the please. We have not been letting them out the front door for fear of losing our Blue Jays. These birds are BIG with feathers that they try to flap. Will they fly from the tree or we they be grounded until they learn? Any advice other than don't let the cats out? Yes we are trying to keep the cats away from them but the Tom only goes to potty outdoors. He is not the problem but we do have one of the girls who is a hunter. She was a stray and learned to live of the land before she adopted us so.

I just registered to post this, thanks.

Packmanjim

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They will be on the ground for a while and shouldn't start flying right out of the nest from the tree. So, just be careful with the cats (keep them indoors for now) and try if you can to keep an eye out for the fledglings on the ground soon. They will try to be hidden on the ground and the parents will be close by keeping an eye.

Well they finally jumped out of the tree. I went out in the front yard and there they were on the ground. I chased them next door while Momma was squawking at me from above. They could hop and fly about 4 feet at a time. They hid in the bushes next door and I have kept the cats in so it looks like all is clear.

It was pretty cool watching them grow up right outside our front window in the nest. Now what do I do with the empty nest?

Packmanjim said:

Well they finally jumped out of the tree. I went out in the front yard and there they were on the ground. I chased them next door while Momma was squawking at me from above. They could hop and fly about 4 feet at a time. They hid in the bushes next door and I have kept the cats in so it looks like all is clear.

It was pretty cool watching them grow up right outside our front window in the nest. Now what do I do with the empty nest?

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I would leave the nest in there. Some birds will build on top of old nests. I guess it cuts down on the work and finding a suitable nesting site. They will lay down a new bedding so they don't get any possible parasites from the previous nesters. This nest recylcling only happens sometimes. I'm not sure of the frequency. Or you could always take down the nest and take a close look at it. It's always nice to see the craftmanship; how the nest was built.

Packmanjim said:

Now what do I do with the empty nest?

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Doesn't much matter what you do with it. If it were me, unless it was unsightly or I had some other specific reason for taking it down, I'd leave it alone.