[Grousemore]

I just happened to catch the end of the "Really Wild Show" on BBC1 this afternoon and there was a piece about Bears visiting gardens in Vancouver.
There were a couple of shots of what I immediately thought was a Jay.It was black above and blue below and crested and looked similar in shape and size to a Blue Jay which I've seen a lot in America.
The nearest I got in my National Geographic Field Guide was Steller's Jay,but it didn't look black enough above.
Would welcome any info.on a positive I.D.

[Michael Frankis]

Yes, Steller's Jay. They are variable with several races in different areas differing in darkness, with the darkest ones in the temperate rainforest on the west coast, with brighter birds in drier areas inland.

Michael

[Grousemore]

Thanks for the confirmation,Michael,I was finding it difficult to get information on Canadian species,despite a brief trawl on the web.

[Michael Frankis]

Hi Grousemore,

Must admit as well, the ones I saw in Oregon and Calif (quite a lot of them, too!), always seemed to be darker than the books illustrate. I found them a distinctly dingy bird, for what they're made out to be.

Michael