BIRD OF THE MONTH: WESTERN SCRUB-JAY

The "blue jay" of dry Western lowlands, this strikingly beautiful bird is showing up more and more in the Pacific Northwest. The Western Scrub-Jay combines deep azure blue with dusty gray-brown and white. It does not have a crest like the Steller's Jay.
The word "scrub" means an area of deep, well-drained, infertile sandy soil which describes one of the bird's preferred habitats. (Nowadays, it also describes a person who is not very good at playing video games.)
Along the Pacific seaboard, Scrub-Jays live near oaks which may explain why they are showing up in our area, "following" the acorns north. They also live in the dense shrub-choked chaparral and coastal sage that lines coastal hillsides.
Western Scrub-Jays eat mostly insects and fruit during spring and summer then switch to nuts and seeds during fall and winter. They may also eat small animals such as lizards.
The Scrub-Jay's nest is a basket of twigs lined with rootlets, plant fibers and livestock hair. Both members of a pair help with building the nest.
Western Scrub-Jays have a mischievous streak and they are not above outright theft. They've been caught stealing acorns from Acorn Woodpecker caches and robbing seeds and pine cones from Clark's Nutcrackers. Some Scrub-Jays steal acorns they've watched other jays hide.
You might see Western Scrub-Jays standing on the backs of Mule Deer. They are picking off and eating ticks and other parasites which the deer appreciate very much.
Western Scrub-Jays are fun to watch because they are very animated. They move about in bold hops and lunges, looking around with sharp turns of the head. They are vocal and playful. During breeding season they staunchly defend territories from other Scrub-Jays by flying at them, calling and occasionally pecking or grappling. Pairs stay together throughout the year.
The oldest known Western Scrub-Jay was 15 years 9 months old.