>Well, it's intellectually satisfying to attempt to explain why Western
>Scrub-Jays are being seen all over the place lately, but it's much more fun
>to see one yourself! I finally did that, saw it flying on a northbound
>heading past UPS as I pulled into the parking lot at 8:15 yesterday morning
>(8 Oct). My first sighting in Pierce Co. I stood in the parking lot for a
>few minutes to see if I would see it again or hear it, but instead I saw no
>fewer than 7 Steller's Jays fly by, going in several directions. There is
>always a lot of Steller's Jay movement in the fall, but this fall I seem to
>see them everywhere I go, flying from treetop to treetop. For days now,
>they've been coming right over my window, a few each day, the great
>majority moving south but occasionally one in a different direction. I
>would guess that *thousands* of STJAs are on the move (dispersing) at this
>time of year, a much more substantial movement than any published
>literature indicates.
>

I was talking to Kimball Garrett about the fact that we are getting a
Red-breasted Nuthatch invasion here in California and that traditional
wisdom in the east is when the nuthatches invade its a good finch year.
Kimball mentioned that here in the west nuthatch movements are associated
with good Corvid years, invasions of crows and jays. They are seeing lots of
jays and nutcrackers in odd places in the south. Perhaps the sudden
northward push of Scrub Jays is due to something going on much further south
than s. Washington!

I would suggest that tweeters keep notes on the face patterns of migrant
Steller's Jays, this may help to figure out where they come from. Loof for
blue or white above the eye and any other noticeable feature present.

Cheers,

Al.

Alvaro Jaramillo Where there's smoke doesn't mean
Half Moon Bay, CA there is fire.
alvaro at quake.net Just means there's smoke.


http://www.quake.net/~alvaro/index.html