I have uploaded a couple of pictures of a blue jay sick with west nile. It
was sitting on my balcony rail and let me walk up to within a few yards before I
backed up. I am not even sure if it knew I was there.
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/145867862
As I got closer, it appeared to be alert and looking for food on the
balcony. However, there was no food and never is and normal birds always go to
the other end. I did wave a foot a little to see if it would notice but there
was no apparent recognition of the motion.
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/145867863
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/145867862
The plumage is not real neat and there appears to be a problem around the
vent which I have not noticed before.
If there had been some dog food down there it could well have dropped down
and picked up a piece. At this stage or a little later it would pick up the food
to carry it off to a branch. It would not know how to take off but could get fly
after falling off the balcony and could land on a branch.
Back in 2002 when WNV arrived I saw several drop dead in mid-air while
leaving with food in the beak. They had to fly much further then.
There are only a couple of my local birds left. Two flocks do come for food
from areas away from the bayou to the east and the southwest. The southwest
birds chased a cooper's hawk today that was out hunting.
An adult broad-winged hawk tried to take a sick bird last week when we
had north winds but missed. It then had fun banging beaks with the hawk in the
window glass a few times before I startled it off the balcony rail. It did not
go far as when I came home a little later there was a pile of jay feathers under
where the hawk had liked to perch.
No crows seen or heard for a month until this morning when a family group
passed through heading south. They checked out an oak for acorns and then went
up and migrated. At least if they were hawks at Smith Point, I would say that
they migrated but one never know with crows.
