My cousin called to tell me what happened recently while he was enjoying looking out his kitchen window at scores of birds feeding on white millet and black oil sunflower seeds. With the temperature outside well below freezing and another cold night ahead, the birds seemed to be in a feeding frenzy. 

       When a blue jay dropped in to join the gathering, its size, and icy blue feathers caught my cousin’s eye.  What happened next was something he will never forget.  As he watched, the blue jay began picking up sunflower seed after sunflower seed.  He was so astonished how quickly each seed was plucked from the ground and disappeared into the bird’s mouth. This prompted him to count each seed that the bird devoured.  When the jay finally stopped eating, it had gobbled down 30 sunflower seeds.  Talk about eating its share at a backyard seed buffet!  My cousin was left utterly flabbergasted at what he just witnessed.

       After I hung up the phone, I decided to see if I could find if such a feeding binge is unusual.  What I learned astounded me.  According to one reference I located, someone saw a blue jay gobble up 100 sunflower seeds before deciding it had eaten enough.  

       Now I have to figure out how I can diplomatically explain to my cousin that his blue jay’s feeding prowess pales in comparison to another unknown blue jay that set the bar so high. You have to wonder if any jay has or will top it?