Pass Time Finding Natural Wondrous Treasures in Your Own Backyard [Gallery]

Coming up on a year at the new homestead, I have just become aware of some of the wildlife roaming our neighborhood.

My daughter and son came home one afternoon to find a live baby bird on the ground beneath the big tree in the front yard. We sprung into action and called South Plains Wildlife Rehabilitation Center to report a grounded baby bird with two others who did not survive what appeared to be a fall from the nest.

We thought it was just a typical sparrow or dove when we called the center initially. Their advice was to gently and carefully relocate the baby bird to a safer place on our property so that it wasn't exposed to predators.

Then, we tried to follow instructions...

That's when we found out that it was not your typical neighborhood noisemaker, it was our very own State Bird of Texas, a Blue Jay.

I instantly recognized the aggressive nature of this bully of the bird kingdom, having lived in South-Central Texas, they are prolific in those parts of the State and would let you know right away when you have stepped out of bounds.

Trying to keep safe this baby, grounded in our yard, was not an exception to the behavior of the super-intelligent Blue Jay. The adults let us know instantly by dive-bombing and cursing my manfriend, as he attempted to pick up the bird to move to safety, that we were a threat and they were not having it.

If you have never encountered the angry side of a Blue Jay, consider yourself lucky. When these beautiful bad boys (and girls) are upset with you they have no hesitation or inhibition in letting you know your violation swiftly and sometimes painfully.

Since I was under the weather last weekend I sat outside and decided to capture some of the newfound treasures in our trees. I couldn't be more elated to find multiple nests in our tree and look forward to formulating a bond with what may be my spirit animal.

For those less inclined to believe in the supernatural, how about some facts about Blue Jay from Texas Parks and Wildlife? If that doesn't satisfy your Blue Jay curiosity, check out what the National Audubon Society field guide has to say about our state jay.

If you'd like to help preserve the bird population, you can take action on some legislative efforts through the National Audubon Society by clicking here.