BLUE COATS

            

Alpine Villa  lay nestled against the backdrop of the snow capped mountains and  mixed vegetation of conifers and oaks ;Its white walls and red tiles---- a bright contrast , which made it quite distinct to recognize from a distance. It stood in perfect harmony with the surrounding vegetation and the other cluster of brightly coloured  houses, save for a barren  patch of land ,  on the edge of the road in front. One could get a glimpse of the metalled road as it turned towards the centre of the town downhill.

   Timmy was due on a visit to Mrs.Sullivan’s this winter vacation and  I found myself eagerly awaiting his arrival. Timmy is my seven year old friend and of late I have grown fond of him. Full  of energy  and  with a penchant for adventures he and I immensely enjoyed our escapades. Youth and Maturity  revelled in each others company  when Timmy and I were together.

    The self sponsored  wild life photographer in me, was looking for a subject  when I spotted  the yellow and green bus  at the road side. Mrs.Sullivan  alighted from it. A tall and dignified woman,  she did not look quite the seventy year old she was. I walked up to her.

“Good morning , Mrs .Sullivan. Can I drop you to the market ? I am on my way there.”

‘No, thank  you, Marc. I am waiting for Timmy to arrive.”

“Oh, that  is  good news. I have been meaning to ask you about his arrival”

“He will be here soon. You finish your work  before you get late.’

Leaving her to wait for Timmy,  I proceeded to complete my daily chores.

 “I have to wait for Timmy to  help me find my subject,” I told myself.

His curiosity and love for  the creepy and crawly had helped me to find the most  unusual subjects for photography.

Dusk approached fast and I drove down to my haven---Alpine Villa .I manoeuvred a sharp bend with ease and brought the car to a grinding halt as I saw the small figure of Timmy  waving at me.

“Hop in my boy” I told him holding  the car door open.

“Hi, uncle.Nice to see you again,’

I noticed he had some acorns in his hand.

“Where did you get those?” I asked pointing to his treasure.

“The Blue Coats gave them to me.”

“Blue Coats?” I asked in disbelief.

“Yes. They are always in blue ,That is why I call them so”

“Interesting observation.”

“They are Jim and Jay … my friends. I spent a great time with them today after noon.”

I  marveled at Timmy’s openness….with what ease he makes friends. We become rigid as we grow old and friendship does not come easy; or at other times “far too busy “ attitude cloaks our ways to extend a hand of friendship.

Parking the car I invited Timmy in for  some hot chocolate which I knew he would not resist.

He sat on the kitchen stool, observing me as I proceeded to make him the promised hot chocolate.

“Why don’t you call your friends Jim and Jay? We can  have the hot chocolate together.’

No, they are not allowed to come now, It is their resting time. Moreover they scared me today.”

“Oh ! So what did you all do?”

“You see, I was up on the tree in the backyard looking for squirrels. I had carried nuts for them to feed them. I wanted to see their nest.”

 “Did you manage?’” I asked .

“I did  catch a glimpse of the interior, but Jim scared me, and I nearly fell.”

“Did you get hurt?”I enquired with concern.

“No,I managed to cling to a branch, and was saved.”

Eager as to how such an adventurous  person got caught on the wrong foot I wanted to hear the whole story…

“Jim and Jay were with me when I climbed the tree. Suddenly I saw Jim reach out for something which fell from nowhere. The squirrel too dashed for it and in the melee I fell. I heard the Red hawk call very near to me and I slipped. Jim and Jay left me alone dangling from the branch and the squirrel too had vanished.”

“The Red hawk can be scary with its sharp talons.”

“ Yes, but I did not see the hawk, Uncle.”

“It must have been near you hiding somewhere amongst the branches.”  I tried to put in a little apprehension in my young friend.

“You really think so?”

”Well I guess, Where could it go? It must have come for the squirrel.”

The telephone rang and Timmy ran to answer it. It was for him. Mrs. Sullivan wanted him back for supper. I volunteered to drop him  back home.

Timmy left and we promised to meet the next day.

The winter sun mellow and pale greeted me the next morning and so did my young friend. He was in a hurry  and literally dragged me out.

“Come fast, I need you to meet my friends. They  are here.”

“Jim and Jay ? “ I asked

“Yes”

 And I ran after him, my camera in hand. I thought it would be  wonderful to gift Timmy a framed photograph of the threesome.

“There, they are, Can you see them?”

I followed the direction to which Timmy”s finger was pointing.And to my amazement and utter disbelief I located The “Blue Coats”

Perched on a branch side by side were the Blue Jays…..Timmy’s “Blue Coats” and the subject of my photography. I did a quick job  as the lens caught them, but  the click of the shutter gave my presence away. Jim and Jay took took off…..the blue of their coats a shimmer as the pale sun light played tricks on them. I guess it is called interference.

The encounter with the hawk now made sense to me. I now realized it was a clever trick the jays had played on Timmy I had to tell him that there was  no hawk..Its call was mimicked by the jays to save the acorn which must have fallen from the throat where it stores it. It is called the “gular pouch.”

The jays are hoarders and I credit them to be the modern day “afforesters” of Nature …. Better than us humans. Incidentally they hide and forget to procure the acorns they have  hidden  leading to the growth of the oak trees on unlikely  patches of land. 

 I hoped they would do the same to the patch of land overlooking the Alpine Villa .

Black metalled road laced with a green border looks nice. Doesn’t it?

 The above story is about the bird called Blue Jays.It is interesting to know that  Blue Jays carry food in their throat and upper esophagus—an area often called a   “gular  pouch.” They may store 2-3 acorns in the pouch, another one in their mouth, and one more in the tip of the bill. In this way they can carry off 5 acorns at a time to store for later feeding. Six birds with radio transmitters each cached 3,000-5,000 acorns one autumn.

Their fondness for acorns and their accuracy in selecting and burying acorns that have not been infested with weevils are credited with spreading oak trees after the last glacial period.  The Blue Jay frequently mimics the calls of hawks, especially the Red-shouldered Hawk. These calls may provide information to other jays that a hawk is around, or may be used to deceive other species into believing a hawk is present.