Steller's Jay

I’ve always associated Steller’s Jays with British Columbia, and especially with BC Parks, where they take full advantage of food left unattended at camp sites. The Steller’s Jay is even the provincial bird of BC. However, their range extends down the coast to California and down the Rockies all the way to Mexico!

Vancouver has been crawling with Steller’s Jays lately, screaming to their heart’s content and feasting on acorns. Like other Corvids (jays and crows), they have a varied suite of vocalizations and enjoy chatting with one other. Steller’s Jays mate for life, and, like perfect lovebirds, seem to spend all winter together too. Mated pairs have complex social interactions that are midway between territorial defense and colonial living.

Birders call brightly-coloured birds “candybirds”, a term that usually refers to groups like warblers and tanagers. But I think this species qualifies as a candybird if anything does. I saw this one in our back yard on October 1st, where she has been burying acorns in our lawn.