Western Scrub Jays on the Crabapple tree

Western Scrub Jays are in our neighborhood and the garden all year round.

Within the past month at least one fledgling has been around the front and back yard with its parents.

This past weekend it liked to spend long periods of time sitting on a branch of the crabapple tree, screeching. Sometimes one or both of its parents are with it, and it is thriving.

In the photo above, the fledgling is on the lower branch.

One of the parents is on the upper branch with a piece of food in its mouth.

It might have a cherry tomato from one our plants or a berry.

These jays are very fond of the berries on the Sunshine blueberry plants, but this isn't a berry.

It could also be a piece of a crabapple.

The fledgling flew to a neighbor's yard, while the parent stayed on the crabapple tree, still holding the piece of food in its beak.