We have a Steller’s that arrives every day to ignore the platform feeder and acrobatically use the black oil sunflower feeder instead. He’s very vocal about what he thinks if the feeder isn’t filled in time. A single Steller’s came every day
two winters ago but used the platform feeder.
Just went out to fill platform feeder & heard a familiar chattering call. I learned, long ago, to always have my binocs with me. And, in a Russian Olive was the Steller’s Jay. I’ve yet to see it come into the feeder, in spite of my best attempts by following advice here. Won’t come in for peanuts, sunflower seeds or suet.
But, it was rapidly downing Russian Olive fruits! Have a bumper crop this year, so perhaps that’s the reason it has stuck around.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a flock this large. The birds were in the road but mostly on the snow covered field on the south side of Melmont. They were moving around quite a bit and we couldn’t find anything other than the horned larks.