I have always been taught that the Blue and Steller's Jays were
"ecological equivalents" (organisms with the same niche but in different
geographic areas) and that they could not co-exist. This is probably due to
the splitting up of an "ancestral jay" (maybe during a period of
glaciation). The only way they can co-exist is if they "split" the niche.
However, I do know there are several studies showing that Blue Jays
depend heavily on acorns for winter food (they cache the acorns at the
perfect depth for them to germinate) and are a primary disperser for acorns
in eastern deciduous forest. Perhaps the Blue Jays will be restricted to
the deciduous forests and the Steller's Jay to the coniferous forest.
On the subject of food, I know they love peanuts. When I had three
visiting my yard in Albion (near Pullman) for the winter, they would eat all
of the peanuts then leave. In Kansas, they would eat sunflower seeds as
well as peanuts. I don't remember they using the suet. The ones that stay
in Moscow seem to prefer peanuts at feeders.
I still haven't heard much from other Washington birders about Blue
Jay sightings. Does anyone know where else they are regularly seen in
Washington? (Thanks to all of the Canadians for the great responses to my
query :) )

At 15:44 9/10/97 -0700, you wrote:
>
>Blue and Steller's Jays (Cyanocitta cristata and C. stelleri) have always
>seemed to me like a perfect example of the results of speciation, some
>ancestral jay (what did it look like?) having split into eastern and
>western halves perhaps 10^5^ to 10^6 years ago, leaving two species that
>occupy similar positions in their communities. It'll be interesting to
>see what happens as their ranges come to overlap more. Easterners know
>C. cristata as a familiar bird of deciduous woods and human habitations;
>C. stelleri is more a bird of the conifers. But their food requirements
>are probably very similar. (Does anyone have good information about
>their foods offhand? All my bird reference books are at home.) Are
>their niches distinct enough for them to coexist? And what's enabling
>the Blue Jay to expand its range? Is it because of more human
>habitations, with appropriate trees, filling in the Great Plains?
>
>Burt Guttman guttmanb at elwha.evergreen.edu
>The Evergreen State College Voice: 360-866-6000, x. 6755
>Olympia, WA 98505 FAX: 360-866-6794
>
>Reunite Gondwana!
>
>
>

Deb Beutler
Department of Zoology
P.O. Box 644236
Washington State Univerisity
Pullman, Whitman Co., WA
dbeutler at wsunix.wsu.edu