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I broke down and installed a bird feeder recently in our backyard. The most abundant visitor to the feeder is by far the
Stellar Jay. I have actually enjoyed these birds since I was kid living in California. My parents have a cabin up near Lake Tahoe and the Stellar Jays have woken us up on Summer morning for over 40 years while sleeping outside on the porch.
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The
Steller's Jay (
Cyanocitta stelleri) is a jay native to western North America, closely related to the Blue Jay found in the rest of the continent, but with a black head and upper body. It is also known as the Long-crested Jay, Mountain Jay, and Pine Jay. It is the only crested jay west of the Rocky Mountains. (taken from
Wikipedia)