Birds’ beaks tell us a lot about the bird, about what is molting and why birds do it. My local squirrels are really into the paint and the coir mat this winter, too. Just last week I saw a tree sparrow actually land on the back of a huge red tail and peck for several seconds before flying away .the swallow had a baby in vicinity I never even thought about birds going after them. I thought that this indicated an insect problem but found an article at the Cornell University website that indicted paint manufacturer’s use of calcium carbonate (limestone) in paint as a pigment extender (2001 To stop then you need to figure out what they are eating and get … ), this is a highly evolved feature and at the same time super basic. I’m guessing that’s it because the squirrels in my front yard have been using the boards on my front porch for sharpening their teeth. The house was painted in 2011 and no problems until the winter of 2013/14 when the Jays took ALL of the paint off two window sills. Offer egg shells, the various online threads suggest, specifically after sterilizing them by boiling or heating in a 250F oven for 20 minutes, to prevent potential salmonella transmission. We ALL do this intuitively. Birds beaks grow their entire lives. (04/14/2006) By Isaac. learned to feed on the suet feeders as well as on my nyger feeders. A great article, thanks. Then the blue jay on the ground got up and flew about 4' away from it's original place and assumed the same position on the ground . We can all do this. I have seen dogs and other animals mark their territory by urinating. Birds are certainly not bird-brained! Nothing stops them. It’s far too early for the annual woodpecker ritual of drumming to assert territory; it’s winter, not breeding season. I witnessed the young vulture sitting on a low branch of a tree while the crow was on the branch above him. The blue jay is one of several year-round residents at the refuge. I tried putting the eggshells I had saved for many weeks. RE: vermiculite — I see the EPA bulletin from 2014 about vermiculite in insulation that contains asbestos and a 2003 CDC bulletin about the contaminated vermiculite from the one mine in Libby, Montana, that was closed (I think sometime in the 90s, not sure). It has been drilling holes in the wood on the side of my deck and causing a lot of damage in the 24 hours I noticed/heard this. All kinds of birds, including the chickens the eggs came from, would quickly make off with the egg shells. Unlike people, birds can’t wipe off their face with a napkin after a meal. You've planted and pruned, watered and watched it grow. Here’s how it works: Let’s say you’re one of those males, perched in a tree with a lovely female and wishing the other males would buzz off. It went on for several days about a week ago but seems to have stopped. One year we had a squirrel who repeatedly visited our deck to nosh the white paint off a bench. The only way to find out is for everyone who has problems with birds pecking on or bashing into windows to give this a try and let me know how it … An experiment came to mind. What's up nature addict! This isn’t what you want. Why science has failed to recognize that the intelligence of nature and our bodies is so deeply vast that it will keep science busy, for…ever is itself a bit daunting. Although Blue Jays eat about 3 times as much plant matter as it does meat, a large part of their diet is made up of other animals such as mice, fish, bats and other small birds. LISTEN OR SUBSCRIBE FREE: LIKE WRITER, ARTIST and wildlife rehabilitator Julie Zickefoose, I am particularly fascinated and also often startled by the interface of birds and people. I grew up in Colorado. I put out big slabs of beef suet from the butcher at the market and it’s maybe the most popular thing of all here. Thank you! the cakes, whereas in prior years they used to just visit the sunflower seed feeders. I sat in wait, determined to find out. For the past few months, since the bluejays have discovered my suet cakes, they have been relentless in chopping away at  This made me think that maybe birds did the same thing by somehow rubbing their beak on a tree. Press Esc to cancel. (07/07/2005) By guest. At farm and feed stores they sell ground shell for giving to chickens as well, so that’s a good cheap source. As soon as ground was bare they stopped. I printed pictures of cats from the internet and hung them in my window. If the lookouts spot a cat, they'll yell with jeer calls, and then the whole family erupts in jeers. Yes. The squirrels here are at an all-time high, so don’t get me started on that subject! I enjoyed the topic and comments. Begin typing your search above and press return to search. What a coincidence!  I receive a tiny percent of any purchases you make through these links. A bluejay is acting very peculiar, like a woodpecker. Birds rub their beak after eating. I’d been watching the bluejays eating the paint away and thought perhaps my patio wood had bugs in it. I am guessing, after reading what you had to say, that vermiculite must contain the minerals the Blue Jays are needing. No birds like that it seems. How the blue jays figured out the paint-chemistry connection seems to be unknown, as is how they knew those eggshells were on their grocery list. I’ve noticed that once my newly potted plants are sitting on my patio, the Blue Jays sit on the edge of the pots and gobble up the vermiculite. well I have given these nasty birds all forms of calcium as I said , oyster shell, egg shell, cage bird grit, cuttle bones etc. In fact they have stripped ALMOST ALL the paint from about a 6-12″ area around 3 sides of the house! Listen live at 8:30 AM EDT Mondays, to the replay Saturday morning, or stream the podcast anytime. It’s illegal under federal law to trap, kill or even relocate any native non-game birds including blue jays, under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, fyi. Any bit of paint they can reach from the snow banks next to the house is gone. We have woodpeckers who use our siding to call rat-a-tat tat on — their beaks make huge holes (argh for us homeowners), but their purpose is to make a loud and impressive sound to attract a mate. Margaret now you have me thinking about our Sulphercrested Cockatoos here in Australia. No, they are actually more closely related to crows and ravens. I made egg salad for an event Saturday — 3 DOZEN eggs — and put out ALL the shells afterward…and ALL were gone that afternoon. I host a public-radio podcast; I also lecture, plus hold tours at my 2.3-acre Hudson Valley (NY) Zone 5B garden, and always say no to chemicals and yes to great plants. Favorite Answer. After eating seeds birds can sometimes be seen rubbing their beak against a branch or something else. Cardinals, finches, mockingbirds, blue jays, gold finches, grosbeaks, quail and grouse have also been known to feed on these fruit tree blossoms. Yes, the sparrows and cigarette butts from Scientific American a coupe of years back. The squirrels lugged off the egg shells. Hi, Ursula. I am missing my birds – my bluejays – while migrating. 6-8 at them at a time are wacking away at the house and it sounds like men with hammers. Blue jays do very well in the presence of humans, and the patchwork of yards (some stocked with bird feeders), fields and woodlands found in rural areas makes for fantastic habitat. So far, there are no takers. Why is a woodpecker damaging my house and how do I stop it? Tomorrow, I will go to the feed store and buy some crushed oyster shells. I tend to think they are going for calcium, or other minerals in the bone, especially since there is lots of wood around to chew on if they felt like it–but who knows. 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