Julie Lavender

CONSIDER THE STELLER'S JAY

by Julie Lavender

On our trip out west, my husband and I also encountered Steller’s jay birds on the same walk where we spotted magpies. 

Large songbirds, the Steller’s jay is a gorgeous shade of blue with a charcoal black head. Steller’s jays and blue jays are the only North American jays with crests atop their heads.

Typically, the blue jay is found in the eastern part of the United States, where I live, and the Steller’s jay is found in the western United States.

Steller’s jays are quite noisy, vocal birds with a large repertoire of sounds. Interestingly, Steller’s jays are quite the imitators and can make impressively similar sounds of other birds, even chickens, squirrels, dogs, cats, and various pieces of machinery.

The deep blue bird with large wings forages berries, seeds, nuts, insects and small animals, eggs, and sadly, other baby birds. 

And, around civilization – where they’re often found – they snitch garbage, steal campground food, and sample bird feeder offerings like peanuts, sunflower seeds, and suet.

The industrious Steller’s jay keeps caches of food items, saving for the winter. 

However, they are also notorious for stealing from other birds’ caches, begging for handouts from people, and stealing eggs and baby birds from neighboring nests.

The strikingly beautiful Steller’s jay reminds me of those verses in Matthew about collecting and hoarding earthly treasures: 

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” 

Matthew 6:19-21 NAS.

The little stealing rascal hoards more food than he needs for the winter and takes from others, to boot! I’m glad to admire God’s beautiful winged creation, but I don’t want to be human Steller’s jay. God, help me not store up treasures on earth, but treasures in heaven instead!

What about you? Did one of God’s creations remind you of scripture this week on your walk with Him? Will you share below?