Photographed along Mount Seymour Trail at First Pump, four hungry Whiskey Jacks compete for a hiker's sandwich.

Gray Jay or commonly known as Whiskey Jacks or Camp Robbers - While we stood and chatted about the depth of the new fallen snow, four extremely friendly birds perched close us, chirping and squawking to catch our attention. My new found friend scrambled for some bread crumbs from her afternoon snack pack under the watchful gaze of these Gray Jays. These birds seem to know that most hikers carry snacks and like to share with the wildlife. They give us the eye ball and squawked as if to say, "what are you going to do with those handouts?"

It was a lot like a flying circus as the four Jays took turns flying up into the young lady's hand, sometimes gulping too much and having to land somewhere closeby to cough up the crumbs too large to swallow whole. After having such great fun, my new friend ambled off with a "Have a good Day, I have to go to work now." I stood and continued to photograph the Whiskey Jacks perched on the snow, while they looked for more goodies. As I stood photographing one on the snow, I felt and heard another flew up and perch onto my camera lens for a very close, face to beak encounter. I had a good birds eye view of this inquisitive little fellow, but couldn't get a shot of him on my camera of course (that experience is one for my "happy Thought" memory bank).

These "Whiskey Jacks" are familiar creatures around camping sites in the forest, often seen stealing food off the dinner table, or begging for handouts. They have soft, fluffy gray and white plumage, a small black beak, with the front half of its crown white shading back to a black band across the hind neck. Most of the upper parts are light smoke-gray (and are about 11 inches long from head to tail). In nature, these birds eat a variety of things, from ripe berries, to insects, seeds, and sometimes a little bit of carrion if they are hungry and nothing else presents its self.

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