Wow, Bluebirds in action today! (1 Viewer)

This morning we got a chance to watch an adult Bluebird teaching its young to catch bugs right in front of our porch. The adult flew down and caught a bug in the gravel. I think it was a moth. The next thing I know there are three young Bluebirds surrounding him. He stunned the moth, set it back down on the ground and backed away from it. (I think it was a male adult, does that sound right?) The three young birds were pecking at it for a few seconds until one of them got a hold of it and flew up on our fence with it. We must be up to around ten Bluebirds now. They seem to be everywhere! They sure are fun to watch.

Right after the Bluebird lesson was over. I'm talkin within about a minute. A big Redtailed Hawk swooped out of a tree into the grass in our pasture. He must have missed whatever he was after because he flew back up into the tree emty handed.

I thought we were watching "Wild Kingdom"! LOL

Kevin

Sounds fabulous, Kevin. I bet alot of people on here would love to see something like that in their yards!
I saw my first bluebirds the other day, since moving here last month. They didn't stay long but it sure was a treat to see them. Lucky for you to see them with young ones!
Welcome to the Forum, by the way!

I Throw out some raw peanuts and have bluejays almost instantly carryiny them away. At first I threw them out for the squirlls but the birds get them first.

pbahm said:

I Throw out some raw peanuts and have bluejays almost instantly carryiny them away. At first I threw them out for the squirlls but the birds get them first.

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Hi and welcome to the Forum from Northern Ontario, Canada!
What a lovely set of photos. Looks like you've got a beautiful garden! We were talking about blueBIRDS, not blueJAYS but they certainly are beautiful birds. I've only seen one since moving to our new home the beginning of May. I saw two eastern bluebirds last week tho' and that was wonderful!
Hope you keep sharing more of your photos. Enjoy the forum!

Bluejays and peanuts

pbahm said:

I Throw out some raw peanuts and have bluejays almost instantly carryiny them away. At first I threw them out for the squirlls but the birds get them first.

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I've been putting out peanuts for bluejays and squirrrels for a couple years now. Like you I started trying to feed the squirrels but the jays came. I put some of the peanuts on my deck rail and they'll come right down even when I'm on the deck just a few feet away. This time of year with all the juveniles, I get quite a few jays.

I've heard that it's better to give roasted, unsalted peanuts as there is an enzyme in raw peanuts that can be harmful if the squirrels (or birds, I guess) eat too many. Besides, then when I get hungry, I can eat some of them too.

Bird Nut said:

I've been putting out peanuts for bluejays and squirrrels for a couple years now. Like you I started trying to feed the squirrels but the jays came. I put some of the peanuts on my deck rail and they'll come right down even when I'm on the deck just a few feet away. This time of year with all the juveniles, I get quite a few jays.

I've heard that it's better to give roasted, unsalted peanuts as there is an enzyme in raw peanuts that can be harmful if the squirrels (or birds, I guess) eat too many. Besides, then when I get hungry, I can eat some of them too.

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Bird Nut:
Where did you aquire this information? I woudn't want to harm the birds, but my thought process stems from the fact that in nature, the peanuts would not be roasted. I can easily change to roated nuts if what you say is true.

Perry

Bluejay, not bluebird message

pbahm said:

Bird Nut:
Where did you aquire this information? I woudn't want to harm the birds, but my thought process stems from the fact that in nature, the peanuts would not be roasted. I can easily change to roated nuts if what you say is true.

Perry

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I don't remember where I first saw this, but when I did I searched the internet since I was concerned as I was feeding raw peanuts to the squirrels at the time. What I found confirmed that roasted were better. This morning I did another internet search and whereas I found many sites that said that raw peanuts were dangerous, I probably found as many that said they weren't or even that they were preferable. They seem to agree that raw is better than salted. Here's a couple that state they are dangerous:

Don't feed raw peanuts to squirrels and other animals because it can seriously hurt them. That advice comes from fellow backyarder and Eastern Washington University history professor James K. Kieswetter, Ph.D., of Medical Lake, who found out the hard way.

"I had been feeding raw peanuts to my backyard squirrels when I noticed thev were beginning to look pretty ratty," Kieswetter says.

A friend who works in the human nutrition field told him that raw peanuts and other legumes contain a trypsin inhibitor or substance that inhibits or prevents the pancreas from producing trypsin, an enzyme essential for the absorption of protein by the intestine. With the help of a veterinarian friend. Kieswetter reviewed animal nutrition literature and discovered similar problems.

While the exact relationship between the trypsin inhibitor and malnutrition in rodents is not fully understood, the detrimental effects have been documented since 1917. Squirrels fed a steady diet of raw peanuts, soybeans. other legumes, and sweet potatoes could easily develop severe malnutrition.

WDFW Urban Wildlife Biologist Patricia Thompson also reports that there are mycotoxins in raw peanuts that can cause liver, kidney, and brain diseases which unfortunately are seen in many birds.

If you want to feed peanuts, Kieswetter found, the solution is to roast them. According to the Washington State Cooperative Extension Service, roasting hulled raw peanuts for 20 to 30 minutes at 300 degrees Fahrenheit, stirring them frequently, will destroy the trypsin inhibitor and render them suitable for feed. If that sounds like a lot of work, buy roasted peanuts but be sure they aren't salted. (Salted nuts of any kind should never be fed to wild animals.)

Kieswetter has become an information crusader about the dangers of raw peanuts, alerting several local backyard feed suppliers about the problem. He recently noticed an article in National Geographic advocating the feeding of raw peanuts to squirrels and wrote the magazine to set the record straight; his letter was printed in the March 1996 edition.

As for his own backyard squirrels, they're off the raw peanut diet and looking much more robust, thank you!

Since receiving this, I have talked with Mammology Professor Joel Brown at the University of Illinois, Chicago and Morton Arboretum, Dr. Chris Wallen, Behavior Ecologist at Morton Arboretum and our own wildlife veterinarian, Dr. Fran Wilkerson.

The general consensus is that giving squirrels a steady diet of raw peanuts may not be particularly good for them; but that (like most things) in moderation raw peanuts probably cause no problem whatsoever. As Prof. Brown puts it, "The dosage determines the poison."

There will be more on this subject later. In the meantime, my advise is to not be afraid to give your squirrels some raw peanuts. Just try to limit it to a relatively small portion of their diet.



http://www.wbu.com/edu/birdfeeding.htm (Wild Birds Unlimited)

Raw peanuts contain a Trypsin inhibitor, which inhibits the digestibility of the protein in peanuts. While this is generally not a major concern for birds, because they usually eat other food in addition to peanuts, it’s important to know.

If raw peanuts are the only type of peanuts that can be purchased, customers should know how to roast the peanuts to be sure they are feeding the safest type of peanuts to their birds. We recommend roasted peanuts with no salt or sugar, either in the shell or without the shell. If only raw peanuts are available, roast them at 350 degrees to 375 degrees for 10 - 20 minutes.

It is important to keep all feeders clean, especially when temperatures are hot and humidity is high. When peanuts are allowed to get wet, they can become moldy. Even seed left in the feeder too long (a month of uneaten seed) can grow mold.

Mold or fungi can produce mycotoxins, which can cause problems for animals eating the moldy food source. Mycotoxins can cause liver damage and possibly internal bleeding. Problems of this nature are typically associated with mold on the food source of livestock on farms. Because raw peanuts can more easily become spoiled, roasted peanuts should be served. Feeders should be kept clean and filled with fresh peanuts or seed.

BIRD NUT

OK.....I will roast the remaining nuts I have and buy roasted unsalted in the future. Thanks for the information.

Perry