another blue life form

This loudly vocal, perky blue jay has been regularly visiting the eco-compost pile, eating hearty on the black soldier flies, worms, sowbugs, earwigs, centipedes, and lots of other critters thriving there. Like blue jays in general, this one is just about completely unafraid of me. I can walk around freely, even talk to it or imitate its own calls, and it just looks at me. I thought about offering it a peanut, but it already has enough to eat.

The only time I ever saw a bird dismantle a paper wasp nest and eat all of the wasps and their young, it was a blue jay.

Our feathered friend on the compost is just about one year old, one of two offspring hatched by an older pair of blue jays that visited frequently last summer. Looks like the whole family has been enjoying the harvest!