[birding] Re: [obol] Western Scrub-Jays Raising two Broods?

[Dan Gleason]

Western Scrub-Jays will frequently raise a second brood but usually  
only if the first is lost, and sometimes, that can be well after  
fledging. We have a pair of jays nesting in our yard here in south  
Eugene every year and a second brood is often raised. In each case,  
the first brood has fallen prey to a Cooper's Hawk or a Crow. Crows  
have on two occasions discovered the nest and removed either eggs or  
young nestlings. The Cooper's Hawk has taken young after they are out  
of the nest feeding some and begging from the parents. This year, two  
young had been actively feeding around our feeding station for nearly  
three weeks. Then one day, a Cooper's Hawk swooped by, nearly in  
arm's reach as I coincidentally stepped outside, and took one of the  
young birds from our front yard. The young jay put up a loud  
commotion before being killed and brought out the adults. The second  
young disappeared the next day. Two days later, I saw the adults  
carrying sticks and starting fresh. Just yesterday, I saw a young jay  
but I think it is too soon for any young from that nest.

Dan Gleason
-------------
Dan Gleason
dan-gleason at comcast.net
541 345-0450


On Jul 23, 2009, at 2:30 PM, Carl & Christine Schneiders wrote:

> Hi Birders,
>
> On May 21st I noted a pair of Western Scrub-Jays feeding five just  
> fledged young in my back yard.  I saw and heard this family for  
> about 3 weeks and after that time period the number of begging  
> calls and sightings of juveniles tapered off.  I figured that the  
> pair had successfully raised the brood and the young had  
> dispersed.  Then two days ago (Tuesday the 21st) I saw an adult  
> Western Scrub-Jay feeding a very recently fledged begging juvenile  
> in the exact same spot I saw and heard the fledglings in May and on  
> Wednesday I saw 2 fledglings with 2 Adults.  At first I figured  
> that the pair of Western Scrub-Jays was raising a second brood.   
> Though after checking BOGR and another book and finding no  
> reference of Western Scrub-Jays raising a second brood in Spring/ 
> Summer I thought maybe the first brood had fallen to predation and  
> the brood I am seeing now is a replacement brood or a new pair of  
> Western Scrub-Jays had moved in and was raising a later brood.  Any  
> ideas?
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> Matthew Schneider
> Silverton, Oregon
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> obol at oregonbirdwatch.org
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