You usually hear them before you see them – the shack-shack-shack-shack call of bright-blue-with-black-crest Steller’s Jays, a call many can recognize even if you’re not an “I can identify that bird in two notes” expert. Two of the photographers who often contribute memorable West Seattle sightings have shared Steller’s Jays photos, just as we noticed them back in our backyard. Above, Machel Spence, best known for microphotography – bugs, fungi, etc. – captured the larger-than-life countenance of a jay. The next three photos are courtesy of Trileigh Tucker, who says the brash blue birds tipped her off that it’s “beaked hazelnut” season:
The nuts are a hit with the Steller’s Jays – though they have to go through some extraction efforts:
Trileigh explains, “Beaked hazelnuts are one of the traditional autumn delicacies enjoyed by native people in our area, and were traded up and down the coast — although it looks like this year, the jays have beaten us humans to the harvest! But interested folks can still find a few nuts and shell fragments; look on the ground under sturdy conifers near hazelnut shrubs, which are all through Lincoln Park.”
Trileigh’s also written about this on her website, Natural Presence. We thank her and Machel for sharing their photos – and everyone who shares theirs via WSB (e-mail editor@westseattleblog.com or use the WSB Flickr group).
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