Do you have ground squirrels?
This was a ground squirrel planting, so I wasn't concerned about it. They take seed from bird feeders they can reach, or what falls to the ground and bury them. That was something we learned that year. We saw sunflowers coming up in odd locations and mowed over most, but left a few. Even before the seeds were fully dried, up he went to munch on some.
I would be ecstatic to see a Stellar's Jay. I feed the birds by buying food for them and planting flowers they like. Did you have plans for the flower/seeds? Some people cover them in some type of bag to keep birds off.
