UK Jay Migration (1 Viewer)

[angeladavies]

We have / had a couple of blue jays nesting in our garden for what seemed to be a long time - we have notice though that now they appear to have left.

Do they migrate and if so where to ?

 

[Jumbo]

...a couple of blue jays...
Do they migrate and if so where to ?

Blue Jays?
I'm guessing you meant Jay [Garrulus glandarius] the uk has resident and migratory populations. Resident populations responding to food availability will move and be seen in different environments, which can give an impression of migration. My garden is visited at the same time each year by several Jays taking advantage of the acorns, one of which was tagged and seen several months later in nearby woodland for example.

There are a number of subspecies, but visual identification is unreliable.

We definitely experience significant influxes of continental birds too, and again these appear to be in response to weather and food availability as the numbers vary dramatically from year to year. There's a good thread regarding the 2012 influx here.

HTH