One of the things that has made my life more interesting since Chéri and I locked ourselves in our apartment, is bird watching.

Now, to be honest, that’s pretty much 95% of sparrow-watching. Which can seem not so exciting. 

At the beginning of the summer, my wish was to get a cardinal to visit our feeder. I knew we had a couple of them in the neighbourhood, and I sooooo wanted the red feathered cuties to choose hour balcony.

And they did. We had a couple, and two amazing babies. They come every morning, and every evening. We communicate from a distance (they are incredibly nervous birds). I whistle to invite them when I put their food out, and they are quick to come. And if I sleep late, and miss breakfast, they come to the window and let me know I need to do my job.

One thing I didn’t expect, or even hope for, was to get blue jays. To me, Montréal was not fit for them. I’ve always seen them in forests, and never in cities… Yet, this morning, I suddenly heard an unusual bird call coming from the balcony. I ran to the window, not really believing my ears (I didn’t want to be disappointed).

But there it was…  After five months of patience, the first visit of a beautiful blue jay! I watched my new friend feeding on peanuts and being its loud self, until it flew away graciously.

I wish I had a picture, or video of my own, but this was so unexpected that I didn’t want to walk away from the window to get my phone… Maybe some other day, if Mr Blue Jay dares to come back.