That's alot of interesting info on the Jay's. I can only add, they are very
greedy for Sunflower seeds, as well as mixed seed at my feeders. I have
never witnessed them eating suet in my yard.


At 04:40 PM 10/9/97 -0700, you wrote:
> 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
>
>
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