Unidentified Jay

Russell Cameron writes,

Is it normal to see a Blue Jay in early December in Anchorage? Is the Blue Jay a migratory bird?

LEO says:

This looks like a Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri), which is a species of Jay common along the west coast (but different than the Blue Jay found on the East Coast). Here in southcentral Alaska, they are a commonly seen year round.

Resources:

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology writes that "Steller's Jays are most similar to the Blue Jay of the East, but there's very little range overlap between these two species. The Steller's Jay's sooty head quickly distinguishes it from the Blue Jay. California and Woodhouse's scrub-jays and Pinyon Jay often occur in adjacent habitats, but lack the Steller's Jays prominent crest." Read more at the Stellar's Jay Species Profile.

National Park Service – "The Steller's Jay ranges west of the Rockies from Alaska to Mexico. Often found in higher elevations of pine-oak woodlands and coniferous forests, they will occasionally drop to lower elevations during the winter." Learn more about Stellar's Jay in Alaska from the Kenai Fjords NPS Office.