I haven’t seen a Blue Jay yet this fall but I’ve had them in Island Park
a handful of times over the years. They seem to loosely associate with
Steller’s Jay and I’ve even heard one with a group of Clark’s
Nutcrackers. I’ve had them at feeders but also just randomly out in
coniferous forest. I’ll keep my ears open…

Cliff

On 11/20/19 10:50 AM, Diann Stone dstoneak2id@gmail.com [ible] wrote:
> When I lived in the hills above Anchorage, AK the Steller’s Jays loved
> unsalted peanuts in the shells. I would lay peanuts on the deck
> railing and watch the jays come for them. A Steller’s Jay would choose
> a peanut to test supposedly for weight, set it down if not acceptable
> and try another. Quite often certain jays would test and choose up to
> three peanuts at a time held crosswise in the beak, then fly off to
> cache them somewhere and return for more. It was most entertaining to
> observe their behaviors in this choice of peanuts. The younger jays
> would just grab the first convenient peanut and go. I do miss the
> almost daily visits of those Steller’s Jay’s.
>
> Diann Stone  Boise
>
> On Wed, Nov 20, 2019, 10:34 AM ‘Dave & Brenda Pace’ dbpace@q.com
> [ible] > wrote:
>
> We have had 3 Blue Jays and 3 Steller’s Jays feeding in our yard
> for about a month now.  Haven’t ever seen them here either. Saw a
> couple Steller’s Jays up at the Box Canyon campground in Island
> Park this summer which was fun.  Interesting to see how the two
> species interact.  They seem to be together often.  The blue jays
> work over the hanging feeders gobbling up black oil sunflower
> seeds whole then flying off.  I am assuming they are caching them
> near by as they come back fairly quickly for another crop full.  I
> suppose this bodes well for having them spend the winter, they
> seem to have stored enough already for a month or two.  After
> storing a few rounds they get a seed and move up to a perch and
> crack it open just like a chickadee, then back for another.  The
> Steller’s Jays stay on the ground under the feeders.  None of them
> seem to understand what the whole peanuts I leave out are all
> about.  They don’t last long as the magpies sure know what they are.
> Does anyone have any suggestions on their favorite feeder foods. 
> The black oil seems to work well just wondering what else they
> might enjoy.  Fun seeing them.
> Dave Pace
> Idaho Falls
> *From:* mailto:ible-noreply@yahoogroups.com
> *Sent:* Tuesday, November 19, 2019 9:39 PM
> *To:* ible@yahoogroups.com
> *Subject:* [IBLE] Blue Jays
>
> I have been seeing Blue Jays in my neighborhood now for at least a
> month and today I was taking pictures of one in my yard when it
> was joined by another and then another until I had six feeding in
> my front yard with others calling from the back yard. I looked
> that way only to see a Steller’s on my roof when it was joined by
> another and then another until there were four which joined the
> six Blue Jays in the front yard but not feeding with them.  I
> continued hearing other Blue Jays calling from behind my house. 
> It was pretty amazing.
>
>
> Steve Butterworth
>
> Idaho Falls
>
>

—
Cliff and Lisa Weisse
Island Park, Idaho
cliffandlisa@octobersetters.com

There is now what eBird calls a “Stakeout Hotspot” for this bird and this
location. If you observe the Brant at ITD headquarters, please use the
eBird hotspot called “stakeout Brant 2019 Boise (ITD Headquarters)”. If you
used a hotspot called “Idaho Transportation Department Headquarters”
between yesterday afternoon and this morning, you’ll find that the location
has been renamed, and you don’t need to do anything. If you previously
entered the bird from a personal location, please consider changing the
location of your checklist to this new hotspot to keep the map clean and
tidy, and to help others figure out when the bird was last seen. If you
observe the Brant at some other location in Boise, then it’s best to use
either a personal location or other hotspot(s) (if appropriate). For now,
most or all observations have been from ITD headquarters.

Thanks to everyone for reporting this bird and good luck to those who are
going to see it.

Carl Lundblad
ebird Hotspot Editor for Idaho
Moscow, Idaho

When I lived in the hills above Anchorage, AK the Steller’s Jays loved
unsalted peanuts in the shells. I would lay peanuts on the deck railing and
watch the jays come for them. A Steller’s Jay would choose a peanut to test
supposedly for weight, set it down if not acceptable and try another. Quite
often certain jays would test and choose up to three peanuts at a time held
crosswise in the beak, then fly off to cache them somewhere and return for
more. It was most entertaining to observe their behaviors in this choice of
peanuts. The younger jays would just grab the first convenient peanut and
go. I do miss the almost daily visits of those Steller’s Jay’s.

Diann Stone Boise

On Wed, Nov 20, 2019, 10:34 AM ‘Dave & Brenda Pace’ dbpace@q.com [ible] wrote:

>
>
> We have had 3 Blue Jays and 3 Steller’s Jays feeding in our yard for about
> a month now. Haven’t ever seen them here either. Saw a couple Steller’s
> Jays up at the Box Canyon campground in Island Park this summer which was
> fun. Interesting to see how the two species interact. They seem to be
> together often. The blue jays work over the hanging feeders gobbling up
> black oil sunflower seeds whole then flying off. I am assuming they are
> caching them near by as they come back fairly quickly for another crop
> full. I suppose this bodes well for having them spend the winter, they
> seem to have stored enough already for a month or two. After storing a few
> rounds they get a seed and move up to a perch and crack it open just like a
> chickadee, then back for another. The Steller’s Jays stay on the ground
> under the feeders. None of them seem to understand what the whole peanuts
> I leave out are all about. They don’t last long as the magpies sure know
> what they are.
>
> Does anyone have any suggestions on their favorite feeder foods. The
> black oil seems to work well just wondering what else they might enjoy.
> Fun seeing them.
>
> Dave Pace
> Idaho Falls
>
> *From:* mailto:ible-noreply@yahoogroups.com
> *Sent:* Tuesday, November 19, 2019 9:39 PM
> *To:* ible@yahoogroups.com
> *Subject:* [IBLE] Blue Jays
>
>
>
> I have been seeing Blue Jays in my neighborhood now for at least a month
> and today I was taking pictures of one in my yard when it was joined by
> another and then another until I had six feeding in my front yard with
> others calling from the back yard. I looked that way only to see a
> Steller’s on my roof when it was joined by another and then another until
> there were four which joined the six Blue Jays in the front yard but not
> feeding with them. I continued hearing other Blue Jays calling from behind
> my house. It was pretty amazing.
>
>
> Steve Butterworth
>
> Idaho Falls
>
>

Still present this morning, doesn’t seemed phased at all. =)

On Nov 20, 2019, at 8:27 AM, Jonathan Barnett jrb4jc@hotmail.com [ible] wrote:

Well, he certainly wasn’t spooked at all by joggers running past him or cars driving past him yesterday…

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

From: ible@yahoogroups.com > on behalf of LARRY ARNOLD larnold47@cableone.net [ible] >
Sent: Wednesday, November 20, 2019 7:42:11 AM
To: IBLE >
Subject: [IBLE] Re Brant in Boise…..

Brant Peoples,

Hoping this graphic survives cyberspace for its visual effects……

I pulled the trigger too soon when I posted the 1997-98 bird, for which all sightings were at Duck Island in Ann Morrison Park in Boise, and those ebird dates were:
15 Nov 1997, 22 Nov 1997 (RL), 20 Dec 1997, 28 Jan 1998…. all IBRC reports/records except for RL’s sighting as noted

Odds are that this was one and the same bird, considering all were seen at precisely the same location, and considering the BNA annual cycle below for migration (outer darker blue shell).
Suggesting our current bird could be here much of this winter, maybe? hedge-hedge-hedging….

Just for fun,
LA

<1709774.4349999703>

Figure 5. Annual cycle of migration, breeding, and molt of Brant in North America.
Thick lines show peak activity; thin lines, off-peak.

Reference – Lewis, T. L., D. H. Ward, J. S. Sedinger, A. Reed, and D. V. Derksen (2013). Brant (Branta bernicla), version 2.0. In The Birds of North America (A. F. Poole, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA… https://doi.org/10.2173/bna.337

We have had 3 Blue Jays and 3 Steller’s Jays feeding in our yard for about a month now. Haven’t ever seen them here either. Saw a couple Steller’s Jays up at the Box Canyon campground in Island Park this summer which was fun. Interesting to see how the two species interact.. They seem to be together often. The blue jays work over the hanging feeders gobbling up black oil sunflower seeds whole then flying off. I am assuming they are caching them near by as they come back fairly quickly for another crop full. I suppose this bodes well for having them spend the winter, they seem to have stored enough already for a month or two. After storing a few rounds they get a seed and move up to a perch and crack it open just like a chickadee, then back for another. The Steller’s Jays stay on the ground under the feeders. None of them seem to understand what the whole peanuts I leave out are all about. They don’t last long as the magpies sure know what they are.

Does anyone have any suggestions on their favorite feeder foods. The black oil seems to work well just wondering what else they might enjoy. Fun seeing them.

Dave Pace
Idaho Falls

From: mailto:ible-noreply@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, November 19, 2019 9:39 PM
To: ible@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [IBLE] Blue Jays

I have been seeing Blue Jays in my neighborhood now for at least a month and today I was taking pictures of one in my yard when it was joined by another and then another until I had six feeding in my front yard with others calling from the back yard. I looked that way only to see a Steller’s on my roof when it was joined by another and then another until there were four which joined the six Blue Jays in the front yard but not feeding with them. I continued hearing other Blue Jays calling from behind my house. It was pretty amazing.

Steve Butterworth

Idaho Falls

Well, he certainly wasn’t spooked at all by joggers running past him or cars driving past him yesterday…

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

________________________________
From: ible@yahoogroups.com on behalf of LARRY ARNOLD larnold47@cableone.net [ible]
Sent: Wednesday, November 20, 2019 7:42:11 AM
To: IBLE
Subject: [IBLE] Re Brant in Boise…..

Brant Peoples,

Hoping this graphic survives cyberspace for its visual effects……

I pulled the trigger too soon when I posted the 1997-98 bird, for which all sightings were at Duck Island in Ann Morrison Park in Boise, and those ebird dates were:

15 Nov 1997, 22 Nov 1997 (RL), 20 Dec 1997, 28 Jan 1998…. all IBRC reports/records except for RL’s sighting as noted

Odds are that this was one and the same bird, considering all were seen at precisely the same location, and considering the BNA annual cycle below for migration (outer darker blue shell).

Suggesting our current bird could be here much of this winter, maybe? hedge-hedge-hedging….

Just for fun,

LA

Figure 5. Annual cycle of migration, breeding, and molt of Brant in North America.

Thick lines show peak activity; thin lines, off-peak.

Reference – Lewis, T. L., D. H. Ward, J. S. Sedinger, A. Reed, and D. V. Derksen (2013). Brant (Branta bernicla), version 2.0. In The Birds of North America (A. F. Poole, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bna.337

Ah, yes. Thanks! I got another email suggesting a Mallard x Domestic hybrid as well.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Nov 19, 2019, at 10:46 PM, karaki wrote:
>
> Hi Jason,
> I’m fairly familiar with domestic duck breeds, and my guess is that’s a hybrid. Based on the bird’s coloring and size, my thought is a Campbell Duck x Mallard. Look up images of Campbells, and you’ll see that the body coloring is very similar to the bird you saw.
> Hope this answers your question.
> Kristin Araki
>
> ——– Original message ——–
> From: “Jason Talbot jason.talbot1@yahoo.com [ible]”
> Date: 11/19/19 8:17 PM (GMT-07:00)
> To: IBLE To Post
> Subject: [IBLE] Mallard Hybrid?
>
> I can’t figure this one out. Any idea what I have here? https://ebird.org/checklist/S61595556
>
> Jason
>

Brant Peoples,

Hoping this graphic survives cyberspace for its visual effects……

I pulled the trigger too soon when I posted the 1997-98 bird, for which all sightings were at Duck Island in Ann Morrison Park in Boise, and those ebird dates were:

15 Nov 1997, 22 Nov 1997 (RL), 20 Dec 1997, 28 Jan 1998…. all IBRC reports/records except for RL’s sighting as noted

Odds are that this was one and the same bird, considering all were seen at precisely the same location, and considering the BNA annual cycle below for migration (outer darker blue shell).

Suggesting our current bird could be here much of this winter, maybe? hedge-hedge-hedging….

Just for fun,

LA

Figure 5. Annual cycle of migration, breeding, and molt of Brant in North America.

Thick lines show peak activity; thin lines, off-peak.

Reference – Lewis, T. L., D. H. Ward, J. S. Sedinger, A. Reed, and D. V. Derksen (2013). Brant ( Branta bernicla ), version 2.0. In The Birds of North America (A. F. Poole, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA.. [ https://doi.org/10.2173/bna.337 | https://doi.org/10.2173/bna.337 ]

Hi Jason,I’m fairly familiar with domestic duck breeds, and my guess is that’s a hybrid. Based on the bird’s coloring and size, my thought is a Campbell Duck x Mallard. Look up images of Campbells, and you’ll see that the body coloring is very similar to the bird you saw.Hope this answers your question. Kristin Araki
——– Original message ——–From: “Jason Talbot jason.talbot1@yahoo.com [ible]” Date: 11/19/19 8:17 PM (GMT-07:00) To: IBLE To Post Subject: [IBLE] Mallard Hybrid?
 

I can’t figure this one out. Any idea what I have here? https://ebird.org/checklist/S61595556Jason

Fascinating Blue Jay reports still coming in. My 3 continue hitting the feeder daily. I read T Watkins’ report from Last Chance earlier today & just read the others. A couple of weeks ago, I saw a Blue Jay in Ashton, just down the hill from Island Park. So, the jays are visiting diff’t altitudes & vegetation types from conifers to cottonwoods.

Tonight & tomorrow a snow front is supposed to move in, followed by high pressure with clearing skies & colder lows by the weekend. I’ll be curious to see how many of the jays remain or if it bothers them in the least. The one from last year over-wintered at our place with temps dropping into neg teen lows & snows piling to sev feet on the level. Didn’t seem to phase it, but I did keep the feeder filled. Keep the reports coming. Again, fascinating.

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot