DMC#17: Clever Cacher!
This is the 17th cache of a 20-cache circuit, consisting of 15 new + 5 existing caches adopted from Santos L Helper, which takes you anticlockwise through lovely mixed countryside from near Denton village across to near Middleton hamlet and back.
See DMC #1: Intro & Start for background info on the series, a map (also found in this cache's Gallery) and parking waypoints.
The cache, a small camo-taped pot, is hidden at the start of the lane leading to Beck Foot Farm and beyond on the way back towards Denton and your starting point.
As I was surveying the area for a suitable hide location I first heard the characteristic screeching call of this bird (listen here) and shortly after saw a flash of white (rump) and blue (wing bar) which confirmed the species - a small party of which were foraging through a nearby grove of trees.
The jay (Garrulus glandarius) is a colourful and noisy corvid (member of the crow family). Despite this it is difficult to see as they are shy woodland birds, rarely moving far from cover. The genus name Garrulus means noisy and chattering and species name glandarius means 'of acorns' as explained below. Of the 33(!) sub-species, the one found here is G.g.glandarius.
The jay is more likely to be heard before seen and its distinctive call is usually heard when it is on the move. So look out for a bird flying between the trees with its distinctive flash of white on the rump.
They are seen throughout the year but are most noticeable in autumn when searching for acorns, beech mast and hazelnuts to bury for retrieving later in the winter, an activity known as 'caching'!
Before humans began planting oaks commercially on a wide scale, jays were the main means of European 
oak (Q. robur) movement and propagation, each bird able to hoard and retrieve | spread over 1,000 acorns every winter.
Although they eat mainly acorns, they also eat nuts, seeds, insects, fledgling birds and bats, and small mammals.
They nest in large shrubs, laying typically between 4–6 eggs which are incubated in 16–19 days. Both male and female feed the young which fledge in 21-23 days.
To control parasites, it will lie on an anthill with wings spread to let its feathers be sprayed with formic acid.
Intelligence: caching (as in humans!) is linked to a high capacity and intelligence for anticipating different situations, ie. foresight, planning and a level of self-control not seen in many other bird species. What some called purely robotic behaviour - something instinctive and hard-wired, rather than consciously processed - was shown by research not to be the case.
In one experiment, jays were presented with a series of different foods (peanuts, raisins, etc) to see if they could be sorted and stored on different trays. They did this with a level of anticipation not seen before. The food was stored for later consumption, similar to humans preparing food for each lunch for the next working week.
Other forms of intelligence which have been observed in these birds include:
- gift-giving, showing an awareness of the feelings of others. As part of courtship rituals, Jays have been reported to plan for future needs and consider the desires of their mate by sharing food.
- use of tools (eg. inserting stones into a tube to displace water in order to access food)
- excellent mimicry and vocalisation - they can express a range of emotions such as anger,
playfulness and affection
- object permanence - understanding that objects exist even though they can’t be seen - a skill that takes humans an entire year to master
- Gregariousness, sociability and the ability to form complex alliances and coalitions, similar to chimpanzees and dolphins
For more info on this clever bird, see here.
See videos here (calling), here (irritated) and here (caching and tossing)
