The answer is YES, there is a Blue Jay in Woodinville. There was a report
(including a mention of photos) of a Blue Jay from just a half-mile east of
the Red Hook Brewery. In light of these reports, Matt Bartels, MaryFrances
Mathis, and I met at the brewery this morning.

And sure enough, at about 8:15, a Blue Jay flew east from the Columbia
Winery area, over the main Red Hook Brewery building, landed in the large
cottonwood at the east end, then took off and disappeared to the southeast.

Unfortunately, I was the only one who saw the bird, as Matt and MaryFrances
were on the other side of the building and could not see the bird from their
vantage point.

It was actually rather humorous, as Matt and I were communicating via radio
while MaryFrances searched her car unsuccessfully for her binoculars.

I mentioned to Matt that I was watching, of all things, Brewer's Blackbirds
at the brewery.

Then Matt got on the radio and said, "Listen to this!", whereupon I could
distinctly hear a calling Blue Jay. Getting very excited, I started to hoof
it westward to get around the building to where they were. As I ran, I
looked up and spotted the Blue Jay flying east, calling. I radioed the
information over to Matt and MaryFrances, but unfortunately an overhead
walkway blocked their view of the cottonwood. Matt was able to see a
white-bellied bird fly southeast moments later, but otherwise they didn't
see the bird.

When I finally got around the building to meet them, Matt held up a plush
toy Blue Jay which produced a credible Blue Jay call when squeezed. I had
hustled west on the trail of a plush toy, not the real thing!

I suppose it's possible that the Blue Jay heard Matt's toy and flew east to
investigate, continuing east when it failed to find a "friend".

So, yes, there is a Blue Jay in Woodinville, but if you hear it, you need to
make sure that it's not just a discouraged Matt with his stuffy.

== Michael Hobbs
== Kirkland, WA
== http://www.scn.org/fomp/birding.htm
== birdmarymoor at verizon.net

----- Original Message -----
From: "Josh Hayes" <josh at blarg.net>
To: <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Thursday, October 27, 2005 12:30 PM
Subject: [Tweeters] Blue Jay in Woodinville?


> Greetings all,
>
> I fell off tweeters several years back and have found my way home again.
>
> My wife (an experienced birder) swears she saw a blue jay (Cyanocitta
> cristata), NOT a steller's jay or scrub jay, near the Red Hook brewery in
> Woodinville.
>
> Of course, east of the Rockies, these are extremely common birds, but I've
> never seen one west of the Rockies, I think, and certainly never west of
> the
> Cascades, so, is she nuts? Or has anyone else heard of a Woodinville blue
> jay?
>
> And may I add, it's nice to have a local bird group to ask about this!
>
> -Josh Hayes, josh at blarg.net
>
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