To add to Michael's email:

I stuck around this morning a bit longer after Michael & MaryFrances
left and was able to relocate the Blue Jay [the live one, not the
plushy one...].
If this morning's pattern of activity was indicative, here's what I'd suggest:
Just east of the Red Hook Brewery, there is a public parking area for
a group of ball fields. A trail from here runs along the Sammamish
River. I walked north along this trail, until I reached the Tolt
Pipeline trail. This trail heads east . From both of these trails,
there is good visibility to watch trees in the distance for a flying
Blue Jay. When I saw it, the Blue Jay was very close to where the
Tolt Pipeline trail crosses the next main road to the east of the
ball fields. It spent some time hidden in tree cover, but also spent
alot of time out in the open on tree tops, calling occasionally.

Matt Bartels
Seattle, WA

>
>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
>>
>>_______________________________________________
>>Tweeters mailing list
>>Tweeters at u.washington.edu
>>http://mailman1.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters
>>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>Tweeters mailing list
>Tweeters at u.washington.edu
>http://mailman1.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters


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