I know its a bit far out, but I live out near Monroe on the edge of the
Snoqualmie river valley and I see Stellar's Jays all the time, but never a
Scrub Jay to be found

Mike C

Monroe, Wa

On Mon, Mar 12, 2012 at 12:23 PM, <m.egger at comcast.net> wrote:

> This is so interesting to me, particularly Ruth Taylor's comments from the
> Ballard neighborhood in NW Seattle, wher she has Scrubs and rarely
> Stellars. I live near Matthews Beach in NE Seattle, separated by just a few
> miles from Ballard, "as the jay flies." Over in my area Stellars are found
> regularly year round in significant numbers, and I NEVER seen or heard of
> Scrubs in the area. In fact, this was news to me that Scrubs were found
> anywhere within Seattle on a regular basis. As a hypothesis to explaing
> this difference, I'd note that Ballard was and continues to be rather much
> a deforested zone with relatively few conifers and lots of open space,
> whereas in my area there are still lots of conifers and forested patches in
> general. It will be very interesting to see how this dynamic plays out over
> the next decade or so...
>
>
>
> So what's the news on Scrub vs Stellars from other parts of Seattle?
>
>
>
> Mark Egger
>
> NE Seattle
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> I have had Western Scrub-jays in my neighborhood in Seattle for over 10
> years. I only see Steller's Jays in the fall and winter, probably because
> the part of Ballard I live in isn't wooded enough for them. It appears that
> the scrub-jays harass them every time they see them, even thought it isn't
> the pre-breeding or breeding season.
> Ruth Taylor
> rutht AT seanet DOT com
>
> On Mar 11, 2012, at 6:06 PM, Ruth Taylor wrote:
>
> I have had Western Scrub-jays in my neighborhood in Seattle for over 10
> years. I only see Steller's Jays in the fall and winter, probably because
> the part of Ballard I live in isn't wooded enough for them. It appears that
> the scrub-jays harass them every time they see them, even thought it isn't
> the pre-breeding or breeding season.
> Ruth Taylor
> rutht AT seanet DOT com
>
> *-----Original Message-----*
> *From: *Kimberly Mason <kz at tds.net>
> *To: *tweeters at u.washington.edu <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
> *Date: *Wednesday, March 07, 2012 8:52 AM
> *Subject: *[Tweeters] Re: birds are feisty! WSJays vs StJay
>
> I haven't seen a single Steller's Jay since for ages. Even when the
> walnuts ripened, none showed up to eat them (they usually show in great
> numbers).
>
> Yesterday I watched as a Steller's Jay flew across the pasture and into a
> tree at the edge of my ancient orchard. A Western Scrub Jay IMMEDIATELY
> flew to him and began a pursuit that went from tree to tree to tree, the
> WSJay hot on the Stellar's Jay's tail the whole way. Soon another WSJay
> joined in the pursuit. Finally the StJay landed at the very top of the
> tallest apple tree, both WSJays drifted to the ground on either side of the
> tall tree. I held my breath while the StJay seemed to be catching his for a
> several moments. The StJay made a mad dash for the woods on the north hill,
> flying out of the WSJay's usual territory. The WSJays gave a short chase
> and then returned.
>
> This morning I can hear the call of the StJay in the far off woodland, but
> he has not yet dared to make another appearance.
>
> I had wondered why I had only seen WSJays (a pair and their lone surviving
> juvenile) in the yard. I have hazelnut and walnut trees, there is plenty of
> food to go around (I thought). Now I know. The cheeky, sneaky, territorial
> birds!
>
> But isn't it a bit early to be establishing their territory so strongly?
> Or is it because the Steller's Jay is known to be an egg-eater (as are
> they) that the WSJays would just asoon scare them off now rather than later?
>
> km
>
> *Kimberly Mason*
> Cinebar, Wash., kz at tds.net
> 360-269-5017
> Freelance for The Chronicle <http://www.chronline.com/>
>
>
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