So I realized I havent done a stellar job of communicating what exactly my PostDoc is all about. Yes it’s in Denali and yes it’s about Canada jays. But let’s get to the details. 
Across much of their northern range, Canada jays are what we call obligate cachers, meaning they rely on the food they stored during the fall to survive the winter. Importantly the food they cache is perishable, so those cold winter temps are key to keeping the food from rotting.
This is particularly important because Canada jays start breeding early, when there’s still plenty of snow, so these caches are really important for early nestlings. (Photo Dan Strickland)
Sadly, Canada jay populations seem to be on the decline. They’re not listed or anything, but when common birds start becoming less common the alarm bells go off.
Obviously there are many reasons this could be, but as with anything we narrow the field by choosing a testable question and pursing it. In my current study we are looking at the relationship between climate change and the stability of those caches.
In a nutshell the idea is that changes in temperature (which are more profound in the arctic) may facilitate food going bad quicker. This video featuring my colleague @wayfaringwilly (who, side note, you should be following) is a great summary. nps.gov/media/video/vi…
This is obviously a huge question though, and something this big doesn’t get addressed in a single study but rather in the collective data of many studies.
My part is finding out what and where jays are caching. We know a lot more about this in other places like Algonquin NP, but our Denali birds might be different, so we’re starting from scratch here.
So my project is creating a foundation of knowledge off which futures studies will piece the whole picture together. To do this I basically run around with a camera and try and film what exactly the jays are eating.
It’s a small, but difficult question. These birds are robin sized which means the stuff in their bills is /small/. We can almost never ID it in the field. But by slowing down and rewatching the footage we can begin to track what they collect and where they stash it.
So that’s pretty much it. Let me know if you have any questions about Canada jays!!!
