We don't have as many jays this year as in years past...odd because this is the first year with no outsoor cats i would think i would of had an uptick. Last year the jay army would run the squirrels and other interloppers out of the yard. This year i think i only have a lone couple...they squawk at the grackles and the two big crows that come to eat tossed out fruit rinds and such. They very much enjoy the shallow birdbath i have on the backporch...its flat bottomed cause the doves seem to like the flat bottom wading instead of the sloped sided birdbaths. I'd like to have a few more birdbaths in the yard...right now i have three and my water trough(more for animals than birds but i have seen a mocking bird taking sips from it.). I found a pretty oval serving dish i though would make a nice shallow bird bath at goodwill, i haven't figured out what kind of stand to make for it tho.

We have a friend who has blue jays come for a shower while she is watering her plants. The jays in our yard are a bit more shy, but there is a cardinal family that comes for a shower while I water the container garden. This year's fledgling comes more than the parents. I guess our record seven month drought has been hard on the critters. My pond has been bone dry.

My cardinals like to drink out of a bucket lid so i make sure the lidded bucket back by the garage door has some water in it. I accidently showered a squirrel with the hose as i was watering last week...he was not amused and told me a thing or two.