My house sits at near tree-top level, Steller's jays are frequent visitors. Like other corvids they're intelligent but also cranky, often contentious critters.

My house sits at near tree-top level, Steller's jays are frequent visitors. Like other corvids they're intelligent but also cranky, often contentious critters. The jays absolutely adore peanuts. Fun to watch their peanut selection procedure. They'll pick up a peanut then put it down, pick up another one put it down, maybe go back to first one. We're convinced they're hefting peanuts to select the heaviest. Then there's the occasional very vocal "argument" that breaks out. Bears astonishingly close resemblance to shrill overwrought political "discussions" we've heard, it's hilarious. Without doubt the jays are comedians in the avian community. Curiously crows (abundant around here too) have displayed little interest in the peanuts on offer. OTOH there have been "wars" between the crows and jays, not sure what "issues" precipitated highly vocal confrontations. I assume it was territorial. Significantly there was never any evidence of killed or wounded black or blue participants. Strikes me as sad and shameful that these corvid cousins know more about resolving differences than we humans ever seem to learn.