Peter


 * Would birds be repelled by a bird feeder with a fake Blue Jay on it? **

Research
Further research confirmed my thoughts that Blue Jays are very aggressive and territorial, although I didn't know that they are known to have complex family bonds. Classified as a songbird, Blue Jays are a very intelligent species that are a bit smaller than a Crow, but bigger than a Cardinal.

Procedure
This experiment will be conducted over 2 weeks. The first week (October 14 to October 20) I will measure the amount of birdseed eaten from an already existing bird feeder. On the second week (October 21 to October 27) I will place a fake Blue Jay on top of the same feeder, filled again, and see how much birdseed was eaten at the end of that week. Hopefully I will see a difference between the first and second week.

Week #2 (With Decoy)

Materials

 * Birdseed (enough to fill my birdfeeder 2 times)
 * Fake Blue Jay
 * Measuring Cup

Hypothesis
I think that more birdseed will be eaten on the first week than the second, but by the end of week 2 the local birds will have realized that the Blue Jay is a fake.

Variables

 * Independent:**
 * [[image:cfsbirds-2013/Photo on 10-28-13 at 5.43 PM.jpg width="285" height="194" align="right" caption="A picture of the Blue Jay model I painted"]]With and without a Blue Jay decoy.
 * Dependent:**
 * How much bird seed is eaten when the Blue Jay is or isn't there.
 * Control:**
 * Keeping the feeder in the same place and using the same brand and same amount of bird seed.

Results and Data
In the first week, 775 mL was eaten. In the second week, 290 mL was eaten. This was a big difference, and I think that the birds truly thought that the decoy was an aggressive Blue Jay. **Conclusion** My hypothesis was supported, but I didn't think that the difference would be so drastic. **Notes** On the 1st week, I watched the feeder for a while, and a bird would usually come every few minutes, and take their time picking through the birdseed. On the 2nd week, however, I watched and only 1 bird came in the 10 minutes I was there, and it barely stopped before it flew off again. Later on in week 2, I noticed that the decoy was hanging upside-down from the wires on its feet. It may have just been the wind, but it might've been another bird that attacked it.

Fun Facts

 * Their scientific name is //Cyanocitta cristata//
 * Blue Jays will mimic the call of the Red-shouldered Hawk to scare away other birds.
 * Sometimes a Blue Jay will eat the eggs out of another bird's nest.
 * Their favorite food are acorns.