Put blue jays on a no-salt diet

Q: I've been feeding salted peanuts in the shell to blue jays and they seem to love them, even though I get them on sale at the grocery store. The people at a wild bird store tell me I should be buying unsalted peanuts, but is this really a problem? I keep the birdbath full, in case the jays get thirsty.

A: Birds can tolerate small amounts of salt and in fact need salt to keep their metabolism in balance. But for the most part they get the salt they need from the natural world, so I have to agree with the wild bird store's advice. Even if there is drinking water nearby, the salt in those salted peanuts might cause an overload in the jays. For the safety of the birds and your own peace of mind, I'd advise spending a bit more for unsalted nuts.

Q: I have all types of woodpeckers, big and small, drilling holes in my redwood siding, and the pileated does a lot of damage. I've provided suet for years (is this good or bad?) and have just put up Mylar streamers around the house (do they work?). I need help.

A: Sorry to hear your house is under siege from persistent woodpeckers — this is a not uncommon problem for owners of wood-sided homes. When you think about it, the woodpeckers must be thinking something like, "Wow, look at this gigantic tree trunk, full of insects for us to eat!"

It sometimes takes several different approaches to make them stop, but it's not impossible. I find the best and most comprehensive information on deterring woodpeckers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website: www.birds.cornell.edu/wp_about. They've been studying this problem for years and have many excellent suggestions. Another good source is the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources site: www.dnr.state.mn.us/livingwith_wildlife/woodpeckers/index.html.

I think it's a good idea to provide suet (and other favored foods, like peanuts), but move the suet feeders some distance from your house to stop the woodpeckers from associating your house with a good meal nearby. It's going to take diligence and some work to discourage those busy drillers, but it can be done, and the Mylar strips are a good start.

Q: It seems like the cardinals, chickadees and nuthatches grab a seed from the feeder and then leave, but the sparrows seem to sit there forever. Why is that?

Q: We've always had nuthatches at the feeders, but didn't see them this summer after last winter's horrible weather. Did the cold drive them off?

A: Nuthatches are well suited to withstand our winters, so I don't think your birds departed for a warmer area. It's more likely that they became very busy with mating and then raising their brood. Now that summer's over, I'll bet the adults and their youngsters will be visiting your feeders again.

That's what's happened in my back yard: The nuthatches disappeared in June and July, but began reappearing at the peanut feeders in August. The youngsters look just like mom and dad, although they're a bit "smudgy" looking until they molt into adult feathers.

Q: I'm sending a photo of a bird I can't find in my bird guide. We're seeing dozens of them at a time, all of a sudden, but don't know what it is. You can see a white stripe down each side of their tails when they fly.

A: Thanks for the photo; it clearly shows a dark-eyed junco, small sparrows that some call snowbirds because they show up each year in late fall and then winter arrives soon afterward. That white stripe you noticed is a very good sign that what you're seeing are juncos. Juncos migrate in from farther north and will be in our area throughout the winter.

A: No, your eyes didn't deceive you, eagles often gather to feed at carcasses. I've seen this kind of sight when driving within wildlife management areas, where road-killed deer remain on the side of the road. We associate eagles with fish but they also forage on carrion.

This habit of theirs is leading to problems for the eagle population: Even though eagles have been making a strong recovery after their numbers plummeted in the DDT years, many are now dying of lead poisoning. A significant source of lead in eagles are the gut piles left in the woods by deer hunters — eagles feed on this material and some end up with lead bullet fragments in their systems.