For the past week or so I’ve gotten reports of Steller’s jays in the neighborhood, including one report from my neighbor directly across the street. Although we would seem to have fairly good habitat for the birds, I only see one in the yard every two to three years.

On August 9, 2024, I was sitting in the yard (with my camera!) when I saw a very dark bird descending through the trees. While I hadn’t been focused on seeing a jay, when I got partial views of the shadowy bird through the leaves it didn’t take me long to realize that it could be a Stellar’s jay. I took several photos where I could only see part of the bird because I wanted some record of the bird’s visit. It finally emerged into an open area above a water feature and I was able to obtain some good photos of the entire bird. So I now have a record of the bird’s visit!