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Gray Jays have a secret weapon for surviving the Canadian winter: hiding food in trees!

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During the cold winter months many of Canada’s birds travel south to warmer climates – many, but not all…There are some birds that stay right where they are, surviving through the bitter cold and gusty winds of the great Canadian winter! The Gray Jay is one of these incredible birds that stick around all year long.

Two Gray Jays
Photo Credit: Dan Strickland

Gray Jays laugh in the face of winter. Not only do they stay in the boreal forest throughout the year, they actually start to breed during February, when temperatures are below freezing.

But how can they survive in temperatures that other birds fly far to get away from? That’s where the trees save the day; the forest helps this bird thrive throughout the winter. During the summer and fall, Gray Jays stock up on berries, fungi, insects and other bird snacks and hide them in tree crevices throughout the forest. Then, when winter comes around, Gray Jays have lots of food to eat. Coniferous trees are the best because they have special antibacterial properties that make food last longer.

The boreal forest is important for tons of different animals that call this area home. Now that you know Gray Jays use these trees as their personal refrigerator we have another great reason to protect this forest.

 

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-10/uog-gjw100711.php

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66 COMMENTS

  1. Dear ER_Bubbles and turtlesrarara,

    Thank you for the input on the story! I assure you, turtlesrarara, that no sharks are harmed
    in the making of this story, I like a lot of things like animals (and sharks…)
    Oh, did I say OWLS? The next part will be coming right up!

    Thanks,
    Your Fellow Earthranger,
    Gabjas

    PS. @turtlesrarara
    You should check out the poll on page 2 of the comments, you can vote for an animal that you want to be the ‘Guild’s’ mascot, please note that the Beaver and Arctic Wolf were eliminated due to lack of support, any votes for these two animals will be disregarded.

    PSS. Did I mention owls?

    There are a few members now…
    Gabjas
    ER_Bubbles
    EarthrocksAngel
    missminnieme
    turtlesrarara

    Yay! Have fun!

  2. I felt a shot of pain surge through me, I fell to my side and drifted deeper into the ocean. I realized that it was not a head-on force that had crashed into me, in fact, something had lunged at me from the side.
    I opened my eyes, ignoring the searing pain in my side. I found myself gazing up at one of my own kind, a basking shark like me.

  4. “What, are you crazy?” she yelped.
    I was a bit stunned, I couldn’t decide what to be more surprised about, another basking shark and her recent outburst or the fact that I was just nearly run over by a stupid boat.
    I returned my attention to the shark in front of me, who was glaring at me with obvious irritation.
    “It was an accident, I didn’t notice…” I defended. Her expression changed into a look of near-emberassment.
    “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have yelled like that. It’s just, I couldn’t bare to loose another of our kind, I get a bit touchy when I see a boat.” she apologized, then she gave me a weak smile and darted off in the opposite direction. Still processing what she had said, I yelled after her.
    “Thanks… for saving my life.”
    She slowly turned her head, and I was sure that if we weren’t underwater, there would be tears welling in her eyes.

    * * *

    That was the end to our second episode, make sure you look back and read the rest of the story!
    Input is always welcome and appreciated!
    Make sure you become a member of this awesome club and vote for our mascot, to become a member, all you have to do is post a comment here on this page involving contests, votes and so on…

    Thanks,
    Your Fellow Earthranger,
    Gabjas

  5. Happy Spring Break!
    I hope you all have a great break and a great spring, I decided to make a fun little contest out of it, all you have to do is post a comment telling us what are your plans for the break (please do not include any personal info or mention any names/exact details to your whereabouts, stay safe!)
    It doesn’t have to be long or detailed, just include all your fun plans and activities!

    Bye,
    Gabjas

    PS. Happy Easter!

  7. Hello, Ranger56130591!
    Thanks for voting, welcome to the Guild! You probably didn’t notice the fact that the Arctic wolf and Beaver
    were removed from the poll a while back, but don’t worry! Since it is always a nice surprise to see new Earthrangers, I will make an acception and allow the Arctic Wolf to re-enter the vote, that makes one vote for every animal except the beaver (who was disqualified). Please remember to vote so we can end the tie and pick an animal to be our mascot! (The mascot will be named and used in stories and other stuff, probably….)
    The first vote we receive for one of the animals will immediately decide the mascot, choose wisely!

    Thanks,
    Gabjas

    PS. I think Arctic wolves are awesome, too!

  9. Hey everybody, the votes are in and our Mascot has been chosen! We salute the honorable Arctic Wolf for winning, the Mascot is now Loki the Arctic Wolf!
    Here are the results for the poll.

    Barn Owl – 1 vote
    Arctic Wolf – 2 votes
    Mountain Lion – 0 votes (vote removed)
    Beaver – 0 votes
    Gray Jay – 1 vote
    Snow Leopard – 1 vote

    Thanks to everyone that voted, and if you liked voting in the poll, remember to check back for more polls
    and remember to vote in them!

    Thanks,
    Your Fellow Earthranger,
    Gabjas

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