brian@sequent.UUCP (Brian Godfrey) (05/14/88)
There are some Stellars jays nesting in a tree near my house. I can occasionally see a tail sticking out of the nest, but I think that they are gone a lot of the time. Unfortunately most of the nest is blocked from my sight by a small branch. I would like to remove the branch so I can see the birds better, especially after they hatch, but I don't want to scare them away. I was wondering; do they really leave the nest unattended from time to time or am I just not able to see them at times? (They could scrunch down or re-orient themselves and be hidden behind the branch.) If they do take off for a while and I go up to cut the branch will they be close enough to freak out or do they range pretty far? I realize these are vague questions, but I know little about them other than that they are noisy and blue. -- --Brian M. Godfrey Sequent Computer Systems Inc. !tektronix!sequent!brian
heather@blia.BLI.COM (Heather Mackinnon) (05/17/88)
In article <3355@sequent.UUCP>, brian@sequent.UUCP (Brian Godfrey) writes: > > I would like to remove the > branch so I can see the birds better, especially after they hatch, > but I don't want to scare them away. I was wondering; do they really > leave the nest unattended from time to time or am I just not able to > see them at times? (They could scrunch down or re-orient themselves > and be hidden behind the branch.) If they do take off for a while and > I go up to cut the branch will they be close enough to freak out or > do they range pretty far? I've had the opportunity (some might call it misfortune) to live in Stellar jay territory for many years. They're pretty fearless; careful removal of the branch should cause no permanent problems. I've observed both parents leaving the nest site for short times, but this was after the hungry nestlings were already on the scene. I don't think they range very far, particularly in cosmopolitan areas. The Stellar's jays in our area terrorize our cats and steal their food. They are very good mimics; some of them can cry just like a red-tailed hawk. As you can probably tell, I'm not that fond of Stellar's jays. Good luck with your observations. Heather Mackinnon
mjm@oliven.olivetti.com (Michael Mammoser) (05/17/88)
In article <3355@sequent.UUCP>, brian@sequent.UUCP (Brian Godfrey) writes: > > There are some Stellars jays nesting in a tree near my house. I can > occasionally see a tail sticking out of the nest, but I think that > they are gone a lot of the time. Unfortunately most of the nest is > blocked from my sight by a small branch. I would like to remove the > branch so I can see the birds better, especially after they hatch, > but I don't want to scare them away. I was wondering; do they really > leave the nest unattended from time to time or am I just not able to > see them at times? (They could scrunch down or re-orient themselves > and be hidden behind the branch.) If they do take off for a while and > I go up to cut the branch will they be close enough to freak out or > do they range pretty far? I realize these are vague questions, but I > know little about them other than that they are noisy and blue. Cutting the branch away could expose the nest, making it easier for predators to find the eggs or young. I would advise against it. Climbing up to the nest could disturb the birds and cause them to desert the nest; although they are likely to return if you don't spend a lot of time up there or disturb the nest physically. Species differ greatly in their tolerance of nest disturb- ances and I am not sure how Steller's Jays react; but, to be safe, I would not disturb them at all. Looking and listing, Mike