Animal Tracks - Steller's Jay

	Steller's jay tending its chicks in the nest. This nest was located in a very well-hidden location under the eave of a building, with plants growing around it for concealment.
A Steller’s jay is a blue bird with a black crest and tufts of feathers on top of the head. This is the only California jay with a crest.
They are common in campgrounds and have been called "camp robbers" because of their habit of stealing food from picnic tables. Although noisy and conspicuous in campgrounds, they are quiet when near their nest sites. They are very secretive about hiding their nests.
Their tracks, which are smaller than those of the raven, show three toes facing forward and one toe facing backward. They eat many things, including the young of other birds, fruit, berries, seeds, insects, and human food. Steller’s jays are bold and will grab food right off a picnic table if you turn your back. Steller’s jays can imitate the calls of the red-tailed hawk and the golden eagle. Jays will sit on fence posts or treetops to survey their surroundings. Because they spend much of their time in trees, the tracks you find on the ground will be paired.	Stellers Jay feathers

Steller's Jay that flew into my kitchen. Oct. 5-7, 1999.

These birds are common around the campgrounds I work in. They will raid a picnic table quite boldly. I have had them land on the table and hop to within inches of me to grab a morsel of food that was dropped. I once saw two thrushes chasing a jay that had made off with one of their young. They apperently thought they could get it back. Sadly, that was not the case. So, the jay enjoys an occasional nestling in its diet.

The jay in the picture is one that flew into the kitchen and then couldn't figure out how to get out. He finally managed to make his way out the door, but not before making quite a mess!

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