>A colleague down the hall reported seeing what he believed was a scrub jay
>outside his window today. We're located on the Tide Flats in Tacoma. If
>he was correct, would this be expected?
>
>I thought I remember past discussion regarding scrub jays in the Olympia area.
>
>Eric Henriksen

Yes, Western Scrub-Jays seem to be all over the place this last month.
Probably young birds are dispersing north from their breeding populations
to the south (regular from about Olympia south), a regular occurrence, but
there seem to be unprecedented numbers of sightings all at once in the
Pierce/King/Snohomish Co. area. I'm still looking and listening in my
yard! All the reports seem to involve single birds, and I guess most of
them aren't staying around. My guess is that they're looking for other
scrub-jays, and they don't have any way of knowing they're going in the
wrong direction.

Dennis Paulson, Director phone 206-756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax 206-756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416