Avian Explorer » jay http://www.avianexplorer.com . . . birding, photography and living with pet birds . . . Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:40:27 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Western Scrub-Jay http://www.avianexplorer.com/2009/09/western-scrub-jay/ http://www.avianexplorer.com/2009/09/western-scrub-jay/#comments Sun, 13 Sep 2009 01:31:00 +0000 Elizabeth http://www.avianexplorer.com/2009/09/western-scrub-jay/ Growing up in New England, my favorite outdoor bird was the blue jay. Sassy and inquisitive, they have such great character. After moving to California, I was disappointed to learn that we don’t have blue jays. Instead we have Stellar Jays and Western Scrub-Jays.
Western Scrub-Jays are very similar to Blue Jays: smart, curious, and very loud.

They have a very distinctive call. There are several scrub jays that I hear at work all day. Look at his white bib!
Last week at the Botanical Garden in Golden Gate Park, I saw a scrub jay. He was hanging around the cactus section. He let me take 100 pictures of him. I really like how the feathers beneath his wings are fine and wispy.
When I first saw the scrub jay, he was on top of a long thin stalk, about 15 feet in the air. The picture isn’t great because of the angle and the clouds, but I like how his head is slightly cocked as if he’s asking, “What are you doing with that camera?”
At one point the scrub jay was standing on top of one of the stalks and I got a picture just as he was leaving. I really like how his wings become a blur.
]]> http://www.avianexplorer.com/2009/09/western-scrub-jay/feed/ 2 Stellar Jay in Butano State Park http://www.avianexplorer.com/2009/04/stellar-jay-in-butano-state-park/ http://www.avianexplorer.com/2009/04/stellar-jay-in-butano-state-park/#comments Sat, 11 Apr 2009 03:07:00 +0000 Elizabeth http://www.avianexplorer.com/2009/04/stellar-jay-in-butano-state-park/ I moved to California from New England in 2007 and I’ve been fascinated with the variety of birds ever since. Instead of blue jays, I now look at stellar jays and scrub jays. This is a stellar jay. They’re very playful and curious. This guy followed me around the park. When I didn’t move, he got very close.
They’re quite common in the Bay Area. I’ve seen them in my neighborhood on the coast, at my work, and in the parks. They have a very piercing cry. It sounds as if they’re telling you to “Get out!” “Get out!”
They have a beautiful progression from black to blue and

fantastic crests.
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