Community Chat

[Bird mama]

Bird of the Day - Plush Crested Jay

[Winifred]

The feathers were very spiky and full and just gorgeous - have NEVER seen anything like it. I would gather the bird itself was small. I am so disturbed by this as I just do not understand. Like I said, always have had bird baths and crows - never anything like the past couple weeks or so. Started at Easter time.

[mousiegirl]

On 5/8/2014 Winifred said:

I have a question about a bird and I don't mean to sound terrible - just asking for help if possible. I have always had crows - as far back as I can remember - and they have never brought horrible stuff and dumped it in my birdbath until recently and they have been grossing me out. Kept the water out and then the stuff returned - that happened three times. Put water back in yesterday and today I found the head of a small bird with very showy fluffy feathers - yellow, orange brilliant red. It had a curved beak. I have never in my life seen any like this so am trying to figure out what is going on. This is the second time I have had the same thing dropped in there but this one was much different.

Have to wonder the crows are getting all the stuff they are depositing here - just makes no sense at all.

Just cannot figure this out at all.

Winifred - this is just a wild guess, but I know crows eat road kill, so maybe they are washing it? I would google this, and I am sure you will get some info. I am going to google because I am curious about this behavior. I would be upset also. We only have drab colored birds here so I wouldn't even have a guess as to what kind of bird this colorful one is. I wonder if if is a parrot?

[mousiegirl]

On 5/8/2014 Winifred said:

I have a question about a bird and I don't mean to sound terrible - just asking for help if possible. I have always had crows - as far back as I can remember - and they have never brought horrible stuff and dumped it in my birdbath until recently and they have been grossing me out. Kept the water out and then the stuff returned - that happened three times. Put water back in yesterday and today I found the head of a small bird with very showy fluffy feathers - yellow, orange brilliant red. It had a curved beak. I have never in my life seen any like this so am trying to figure out what is going on. This is the second time I have had the same thing dropped in there but this one was much different.

Have to wonder the crows are getting all the stuff they are depositing here - just makes no sense at all.

Just cannot figure this out at all.

Winifred - this is what I found.

At nesting time, the female sits all day on the eggs or young nestlings. She leaves the nest only infrequently and the male and the helpers bring her food. Food is easy to bring (all pecked into pieces and stashed in the throat under the tongue), but water is harder. So, crows often will dunk dry foods in water and take the moistened food to the nest.

Some crows seem more inclined to put food in water and leave it there than others. Perhaps they want it to rot a little to improve the flavor a bit before they eat it (just as we do when we "age" beef).

You may be able to reduce, if not stop, the crows' behavior by discouraging it. Remove the food in the birdbath as quickly as possible and make it unavailable to them. That makes the birdbath a poor place to store or age their food, and they will look elsewhere -- with any luck, not your rain gutters.

The article also states that they will store "food" in rain gutters, and elsewhere.

[Winifred]

Thanks for your input. So far the only thing I figure out I could actually do to control/block the crows is no water. They do not show up at all other than flying around. We have a drought here so the only water there is what I put in it - I was doing it only for the birds since water is so short here in Sou Cal. It is not road kill - you can just tell and one day there were a bunch of the same bones. I have to wonder if perhaps we don't have some strange neighbors also - just never have crows leave anything except walnuts, bread, etc. Never stuff like this. This go round even boiled eggs. Huh?

Thanks again, if I get it figured out - especially how to block the crows - will let you all know.

[Suziepeach]

Stepped outside to head down the hill to get the mail, saw something on the ground out the corner of my eye and it flew up to a tree- it was a pileated woodpecker.. this is just a pic of one, I didn't take it. It is so big & pretty..

[mousiegirl]

On 5/9/2014 Suzie said:

Stepped outside to head down the hill to get the mail, saw something on the ground out the corner of my eye and it flew up to a tree- it was a pileated woodpecker.. this is just a pic of one, I didn't take it. It is so big & pretty..

WOW, it IS big! I have only seed the red and black on my Cedar tree.

[Suziepeach]

mousie, here's one in flight- they are huge!

The very ever first one I saw many years ago scared me- I had no earthly they got so large.. and they can make loud squawking sounds- very recognizable.

[mousiegirl]

On 5/9/2014 Suzie said:

mousie, here's one in flight- they are huge!

The very ever first one I saw many years ago scared me- I had no earthly they got so large.. and they can make loud squawking sounds- very recognizable.

WOW, WOW, Suzie, I wonder if the wingspan is comparable to an owl, probably not, but pretty close I bet. So many amazing birds in the wild, who knew.

[Suziepeach]

mousie, the wing span does look comparable to an owl's . I am thinking, if memory doesn't fail me, the pileated was the example for woody woodpecker. If I am wrong, then I am really sorry. Gorgeous bird!