A flock of Western Scrub-Jays "Mob" something near the marsh one November day. Usually they'll mob an enemy such as an owl or snake, but I never saw what their target was this time. In the same "mob" were Song and White-crowned Sparrows (which can be heard in this sample), Flickers, Gila Woodpeckers and Abert's Towhees.
Observed in Madera Canyon, Arizona. It is very like a Scrub Jay but it does not have the white line over the eye, nor does it have the blue line around the chest.
I recorded this unusual vocalization of Western Scrub-Jays at very close range with a parabolic mic while they were feeding on freshly ripening Piñon Pine nuts, their favorite Fall treat! They will often "hover" below a pine cone and extract the nuts from below, and they gather in large numbers when an area of Piñons is ripening. This is a sound I heard several individuals make, and it's almost as if they're talking with their mouths full! (No manners, those Jays!)
Observed in Madera Canyon, Arizona. It is very like a Scrub Jay but it does not have the white line over the eye, nor does it have the blue band around the chest. It's back is also not as brown as that of the Scrub Jay.