Competing With the Blue Jays

Last year, there were only a few wild raspberries between my lot line and that of my next door neighbor. This spring, though, the entire row just sprung up and spread out, almost tripling in size. In the last few days, thorny branches have been bending over with the ripening fruit.

Late yesterday afternoon, as I checked out the condition of the wild berry patch, it became clear that it was time to harvest. Better get to it and start picking because, in the next forty-eight hours, the birds might have it all.

It took only about 20 minutes to fill up two empty, plastic pint containers with fresh red raspberries – I could hear the screeching of the nearby blue jays, while I was collecting this bounty.

Not to worry though. There’s plenty to go around. As soon as I had placed the fresh pints in the refrigerator and settled down in the back yard with a good book, I heard the cry of the blue jays again. They are formidable gatherers, swooping down from nearby trees, skimming across the lawn and, after zeroing in on their target, plucking berries off a cluster one at a time – just like that; no wasted effort.