Bird of the Week

This week’s Bird of the Week, compliments of the Weminuche Audubon Society and Audubon Rockies, is the pinyon jay. The first thing to mention is that the pinyon jay is currently under review to be listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act, as the population is estimated to have declined to the tune of 85 percent since 1970. Unfortunately, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with a current backlog, and a determination that would provide extra protections may still be years out. Due to widespread decline in the species from the Colorado Plateau, stretching west into the interior “Sagebrush Sea,” the Great Basin Bird Observatory (GBBO) located in Nevada currently leads conservation efforts to recover pinyon jay numbers. These fastidious jays are prone to caching pinyon pine nuts, and thus the health of pinyon pine tree populations are intertwined with recovering flocks of this avian species. Fire suppression, grazing pressure, habitat loss and drought conditions have been driving forces behind the loss of these trees. The GBBO encourages folks to log observations of pinyon jays using the app Survey 123. To read the “Pinyon Jay Conservation Strategy,” look up the interagency PJ Working Group on the Partners in Flight website. Adults of this species are blue-gray and sleek with a black, pointed bill, lacking the crest of a Steller’s jay and the sooty eyebrow of a Woodhouse’s scrub jay. Juveniles favor grayish tones. This highly social species can be detected through its loud wavering and nasal caws as flock members locate one another readily along their nomadic feeding trajectories. They produce one brood per year of two to five eggs. Young birds provide cooperative breeding support, jumping in to help with feeding new birds each year. Food sources include pinyon pine seeds, acorns, juniper berries, insects and even lizards. Though not readily visible in Pagosa Springs, this species can be viewed in the nearby region with minor travel, as it frequents forests dominated by pinyon pine and juniper, found both to the south of us as close as Chimney Rock and to the east of us in San Luis Valley. At this time of year, flocks can form in the hundreds. By logging observations of this species, we can help scientists better understand pinyon jay numbers and develop land management protocols that benefit their recovery. For information on events, visit www.weminucheaudubon.org and www.facebook.com/weminucheaudubon/.