From Birds & Blooms

Birds & Blooms Bird of the Month:  Blue Jay
Here is the link to their page.

Blue Jays and Ants

I witnessed blue jays taking large red ants in their bills and rubbing them under their wings and on other parts of their bodies. Why would they do this?

—Thomas Kintz, Homosassa Springs, Florida

George: Blue jays and many other species will use crushed ants to rid their bodies of parasites. The ants contain formic acid that will kill parasites or cause them to abandon birds. Some birds will also roll on anthills to obtain the same relief from parasites.

Pretty interesting don't you think?
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My birding yesterday was interesting.  My friend Linda and I started out about 10 and went to the west side of the lake along hwy 27.  There is where the Houghton Lake Flat Lands are, as I call it the Lookout! The first thing Linda spotted an Eagle so we stopped for pics.  My camera, (or it's me) just doesn't get good long range photos, especially on cloudy days.

Next we continued down Hwy 27 to the Water Plant and saw many geese and ducks.

After that we drove down to West Branch and had lunch and did a little shopping. We did it all in 1 day!

Happy Birding, Terry