The warm autumn days we have been experiencing here in Northern California have made for some great bird watching! We have Scrub Jays here year round but the Steller's Jay is a bird we don't see all that much. I have described them both so you can realize the difference between the two.
The Western Scrub Jay is a large songbird with a blue head, wings and tail. They have a gray back, grayish underparts, with a whitish throat and a thin white eyebrow. They are 11 - 12 inches long with a wingspan of about 15 inches and weigh 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 ounces. Scrub Jays commonly inhabit scrub oak, chaparral, pinyon-juniper stands and residential areas. This Western variety will feed on parasites on the body and head of mule dear but both the Western Scrub Jay and the Steller's Jay are omnivorous, eating insects, berries, nuts, and seeds.
The jays in my area, where we have an over abundance of acorns this year, have deep, stout, slightly hooked bills good for hammering open acorns and ripping off the shells. They are frequent, although not always welcome, visitors to feeding stations.
The Steller's Jay is a large songbird and the only jay west of the Rockies with a crest. They have a black crested head with foreparts and upper back also black. Their lower back, wings and tail are deep blue. They are 12 - 13 1/2 inches long with a wingspan of about 16 inches and weigh 3 1/2 to 5 ounces. Steller's Jays commonly inhabit coniferous and pine-oak forests. They are aggressive and often hop up trees, one branch at a time in a spiral fashion. These birds have a harsh "shaak, shaak" call and they will also mimic the Red-Tailed Hawk's scream to the dismay of the other songbirds in the area.
I enjoy seeing these two species occasionally around the yard. They are both very colorful and energetic birds. I know their loud calls and aggressive behavior put some people off but they are beneficial, insect eating birds and I enjoy them as long as they are only occasional visitors.
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