Will they may not be everyone’s favorite backyard bird but
they sure are a colourful bird. It is that time of year that the Steller’s Jays
begin their visits to the backyard feeders as they move out of the hills. The
first to arrive are usually the young jays and are then followed by the adults.
The arrival of the Steller’s Jay also lets us know that fall is near. There have been other reports
of jays around Nanaimo as early as the first week of August.
Now the Steller’s Jay is not a Blue Jay, they are two
different species. The Blue Jay is lighter in colour than the Steller’s Jay and
a little smaller, as well the Blue Jay is seen east of the Rocky Mountains and
the Steller’s are seen only on the west side of the Rockies. It is easy to
identify a Steller’s Jay, usually it is by the load call of shack-shack-shack but are also good
mimics of other birds. Other than identifying the Steller’s Jay by it’s call,
you can identify it by beautiful deep blue on the back with a black head, chest
and a large crest which can be raised and lowered at will.
The Steller’s Jay is one of those birds that you either love
or hate and the main reason some may not like this bird is that they always
seem to be the dominant bird at the feeders. According to the pecking order of
birds, those who get to eat first, the jay’s rank high because of their size
and sassy attitude. The smaller songbirds now have to compete with others to
use the feeder or find other food sources. To keep the jays from scaring off
the other birds and from hoarding all the food, wrap your bird feeder with a
2x2 stucco mesh or chicken wire. It sometimes takes a little time for the
smaller birds to get use to the wire around the feeder but they will be able to
get through to the feeder and it will help deter the jays. Once you have done
this place another feeder out away from the main feeder for the jays to feed
at. Giving the larger birds their own feeding area help to prevent the pecking
order problem and allows you to enjoy all the birds that visit your backyard
Jays feed on a wide variety of food from insects to small
vertebrates, fir cones and other natural seeds depending on the region. As for
the backyard bird feeders the Steller’s Jay prefers peanuts, whether in the
shell or shelled, sunflower seeds and suet. They will also take table scraps
but this is not recommend as it may create more problems than good for the
jays. Jays also like to hoard food hiding it throughout your yard and the
neighbors. Like other birds that hoard food this is natural to store this extra
food for the winter just in case of rough times, and yes they do know where
they have hidden the seeds. It seems as though they forget where the seed is
and you find sunflowers and even peanuts sprouting in the garden, but because
there is always a steady supply of seed in the bird feeders, they never have to
use their hidden caches of food.
Birds are energy efficient, conserving their energy and not
using more than needed. This can be observed easily by many bird species, like
chickadees, nuthatches and also by watching the Steller’s Jay. Simply place out
six to ten peanuts in the shell along a deck railing or on a table. When the jays
find the peanuts watch carefully as the jay picks each peanut and checks the
weight. They are looking for the heaviest peanuts, which should provide the
biggest seeds and most nutrients. Although the jays will take the heaviest
peanuts first, in the end they will take all the peanuts and store most of them
around the backyard.
Although the Steller’s Jay may not be everyone’s favorite
bird, these cheeky birds add some beautiful natural colour to a backyard and
provide great entertainment.
Happy birding!!
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