Post by Steve McDonaldPost by Hermirker BottleneckI put out peanuts and the jays will empty the feeder of about 50 whole
peanuts a day. I've only seen 3 jays at any one time so I don't think
they are eating 'em all? Do they stash?
In Oregon, Western Scrub Jays seem to stash all the nuts they take and
I've only rarely seen them eating any on the spot. Steller's Jays have
a more balanced attitude about this and often will eat a few before
they start packing them off to stash. The Scrub Jays usually take only
one peanut in the shell at a time, but some larger birds have learned
to carry two. The Steller's Jays have got them beat in this
department, as they can cram as many as 5 double peanuts down into
their throats. They fly off with their necks bulging and they might be
more vunerable to a hawk attack at that time. Since Steller's are
close relatives to Blue Jays, perhaps they also can load up more than 1
or 2 at a time??
Here's a description of my (mostly) squirrel-proof peanut feeder: I
took an old 12-inch frying pan and bolted a threaded socket for a
1-inch plumbing pipe to its bottom. I used a ladder and pounded a
9-foot length of pipe a couple of feet down into the ground and screwed
the pan into place. I drilled several 1/4-inch holes in the bottom for
drainage. About twice a month, I put a coat of waterproof marine
grease on a 3-foot section of the pole, to thwart the squirrels.
Regular grease or oil wears off or evaporates too quickly. It's
amusing to watch the squirrels try to shinny up and then start sliding
backwards. They learn quickly and unless new squirrels appear, they
don't try again, even if I don't renew the grease. At night, I have
several Flying Squirrels sail down from the fir trees to get peanuts
and sunflower seeds, but they are welcome visitors. On the rare
occasions native Silver-gray Squirrels come by, I toss peanuts to them
individually. The horde of non-native Eastern Fox Squirrels that
inhabit Western Oregon, don't get this service. At least I don't
terminate them (with extreme prejudice), as one of my friends does. He
has a permit from the ODFW to live trap them and has caught over 200 in
wire box traps over the past two years. He has also caught a few
Silver-grays and Scrub jays, which he releases. One Raccoon that had
to squeeze tightly to reach the bait walnut, filled the whole trap and
was furious at being strait-jacketed. It met an undisclosed fate, as
my friend has suffered extensive damage from them in his flower beds.
No Raccoon problem at my place, as my 23-lb attack-cat whups them all
as well as any intruding dogs that don't show him proper respect and
deference. Once in awhile, he gets a taste for squirrel and nails one
that incorrectly thought that all cats were too slow and stupid to be a
threat. He once trounced a rude, young police dog that made a pass at
him and then he backed-up and sprayed the pants-leg of a cop who was
trying to coax the dog out from its refuge under a patrol car. But, he
never catches birds, making him the only neighborhood cat on the Scrub
Jays' free-to-pass-unmolested list.
Steve McDonald