Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!think!ames!oliveb!oliven!mjm
From: mjm@oliven.olivetti.com (Michael Mammoser)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: Stellars Jays
Summary: don't cut branch
Message-ID: <21932@oliveb.olivetti.com>
Date: 17 May 88 01:01:14 GMT
References: <3355@sequent.UUCP>
Sender: news@oliveb.olivetti.com
Lines: 25

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