Hi Tweeter and Scott,

I wonder if the Stellar's jay was doing what the Spotted Towhee was, possibly irradiating lice. While at lunch at work me and my coworkers have watched crows "sunbathe" on the lawn. They lay kind of flat with wings partly spread and seem in trance, oblivious to the world. I think I have been known to do this as well, especially with the interspersed sunny day, cloudy rainy days.

Kathy

Kathy Andrich
Renton, WA
kjandrich at netscape.net




"Scott Atkinson" <scottratkinson at hotmail.com> wrote:

>Tweeters:
>
>On the eve of the big Clallam Co birding blitz at Graysmarsh, thought I'd
>report a PURPLE MARTIN over the Boeing plant in Everett this morn. ?Judging
>from reports, this species seems to be recovering locally; three cheers to
>the box-program workers, to whom we can extend a hearty thanks for the
>favorable results!
>
>Also, a belated strange behavior report for last Sunday, May 12. ?We have a
>pair of Steller's Jays in our yard, and related to them in the afternoon I
>observed something I'd never seen before. ?I had just covered a small berm
>with fresh beauty-bark, and from a distance looking back at it, thought I
>saw a piece of dark-blue rubbish (like a wrapper) that had blown over onto
>it. ?Going over to investigate, I found with amazement that it was a
>Steller's Jay--laying (sort of) over the beauty bark with wings fully
>spread! ?I haven't the faintest idea what it was doing, but can guess that
>(a) it was sun-bathing (the bark was in full sun); (b) it was trying to
>encourage the approach of certain insects into the shade it had created; or
>(c) it was drying its wings like a cormorant. ?Anyone out there with
>expertise on jay behavior?
>
>Scott Atkinson
>Lake Stevens
>mail to: ?scottratkinson at hotmail.com
>
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