Our experience with the King Co. Atlas was strange; we encountered
relatively few Gray Jays even in what I would have considered prime Gray
Jay habitat, but Steller's Jays everywhere, top to bottom. I would not
say that Gray Jays "predominate" anywhere in the county. Of course, they
are rather shyer but not that strikingly so. Also, there is one (or
more) coastal Gray Jay races (Olympic Peninsula out to Grays Harbor and
south to Mendocino Co., CA) that range right on down to sea level.

Gene.

On Tue, 26 Sep 1995, M. Smith wrote:

> Welcom Jan.
>
> Hi Tweets, sure have enjoyed all the good 'stuff' about chickadees. Such
> discussions are surely the highlight of being a tweeter (that and
> Fork-tailed Flycatcher reports!). Can we talk corvids for a bit? I am
> curious about two things.
>
> Steller's and Gray Jays: Gray Jays inhabit high elevation conifer
> forests, Steller's Jays seem to be everywhere, though. My experience
> (and BBA data also) show Steller's Jays occurring from sea level (like
> here in Seattle) up to timberline. Confirmed nesting records are known
> from all over Mt. Rainier, and probable nesting records from every roaded
> mountain pass in the Cascades. Personally, I've seen them in fairly high
> spots such as Stevens Pass, Snoqualmie Pass, 49 Degrees North, and
> Whistler. Yet most printed accounts consider them to be a low-elevation
> species. What is it about them that allows them to succeed at high
> elevations where Gray Jays predominate?
>
> Clark's Nutcracker. Their high-elevation reliance on whitebark pine is
> very well documented. But how have they adapted so they can exist in
> ponderosa pine forests in eastern Washington?
>
> -------------
> Michael R. Smith
> Univ. of Washington, Seattle
> whimbrel at u.washington.edu
> http://salmo.cqs.washington.edu/~wagap/mike.html
>
>