Drought, Beetles, Jays, and Nutcrackers in the American West

From the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Project FeederWatch comes a fascinating tale about how Pinyon Jays and Clark’s Nutcrackers dispersed widely in the winter of 2002-2003 in response to a protracted drought that had prevailed in the southwestern U.S. since about 1999. The drought, in combination with infestations of native beetles that resulted in the widespread loss of Pinyon Pines, a valuable food source, caused the birds to wander in search of alternative foods.