DEAR JOAN: A friend recently told us that jays scare away other birds.
We have a bird feeder that in past years has fed numerous species of birds: chickadees, sparrows, house and purple finches, juncos and occasional nuthatches, titmice and more.
This summer we seem to have a preponderance of scrub and stellar jays in our yard and the only birds I observe at the bird feeder is an occasional jay or titmouse and rarely, a sparrow.
Do you think the jays are scaring the other birds away?
Nelle Neighbor-Alonzo, El Cerrito
DEAR NELLE: California scrub-jays, along with crows, are considered “bully birds.” They use their size to their advantage, and they can become the dominant species at the feeder.
Scrub-jays are known to jealously guard food sources, diving at birds that venture into the area and issuing loud, angry sounding shrieks. They also will band together with other scrub-jays to attack hawks, owls and other predators.
But just because you have scrub-jays doesn’t mean you won’t have other birds. My feeders attract a healthy crowd of finches, sparrows and jays. There might be some jostling at the feeders, but eventually everyone gets fed.
Although we might like to blame the bully birds for the lack of other songbirds in our yards, different factors also can be at play. This has been a strange year for most backyard feeders. Many people have reported a lack of birds in their neighborhoods, which is being attributed to our wet winter and the abundance of food and water outside of developed areas.
If you’re concerned that the scrub-jays have driven off the other birds, there are things you can do. Retrofit your feeders or buy new ones that exclude larger birds. You also could set up a feeding station for the jays. They much prefer nuts over seeds, so if you give them their own feeder, they might let the other birds dine in peace.
DEAR JOAN: I recently discovered a praying mantis in my yard and posted it on my neighborhood Next Door for the Pinole Valley. I was surprised by the numerous responses I received from my neighbors who had similar experiences.
We were all delighted to have them in our yards. Seems we all had the same perception that they were beneficial to our gardens.
Stephanie, Bay Area
DEAR STEPHANIE: Praying mantids have a noble appearance with an alien aloofness and are the only known insect that can move their heads and look over their shoulders
They can be difficult to find in a garden because of their ability to blend in with the landscape, a quality that also helps them as hunters. They lie in wait for their prey, and when it foolishly ventures too close, it is grabbed with lightning speed in those powerful forearms.
They have voracious appetites, feasting on aphids, leafhoppers, caterpillars and other soft-bodied insects. As adults, they’ll also eat beetles, grasshoppers and crickets.
The females soon will begin laying eggs that will hatch over winter and next spring.
