How to Catch a Blue Jay

Blue jays are beautiful birds with striking blue coats. While they prefer to live on the edge of forests, blue jays often frequent man-made bird feeders hanging in backyards. If you are trying to attract blue jays to your yard, you won't mind their frequent presence near your bird feeders. However, if you're trying to attract many types of local birds, you will find the blue jays to be dominant, aggressive feeders that can drive other birds away unless they are given their own designated feeder. A squirrel or large bird trap with bait can effectively catch a blue jay without harming it and keep your yard filled with birds. If desired, you can move the blue jay in a safe way to the edge of a nearby forest once he's caught.

Things You'll Need

  • Squirrel or large bird trap
  • Ladder
  • Bungee cords or twine
  • Nuts, dried fruit for bait
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Instructions

    • 1

      Purchase a wire or wooden squirrel or large bird trap from an online retailer (see resources) or your local home improvement or garden store. Select a plastic cover for the trap to keep hot, direct sunlight out of the trap when a blue jay is caught inside of it.

    • 2

      Place the trap on the ground near the base of a tree or about five to 10 feet up on a tree branch in your yard. Set a ladder against the tree and climb it to a high, sturdy branch and place the trap upon the branch. Secure the trap to the tree by wrapping bungee cords or twine through the back and around the tree trunk. Wind another piece of twine through the sides where they meet the bottom and around the branch. Tie a double knot in the twine on the underside of the branch.

    • 3

      Place peanuts, acorns, sunflower seeds and dried fruit in the back of the trap to attract blue jays into it. Place the food on the trigger mechanism in the trap so that when the blue jay picks up the food, the trap door will close, securing the bird inside the trap.

    • 4

      Remove the twine and bungee cords and place the trap with the blue jay in it inside of a pet kennel. Drive to the edge of a local forest and release the jay, if you don't want him in your yard again.