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Ihave a ?, I put out moth balls around my pool to keep moles from digging under my pool, I saw two black birds picking up the moth balls, and rubbing them under there wings. has anybody ever seen this and why would they do this?
My first thought was to wonder if they were Grackles...some of the goofiest birds on this earth. When I stopped laughing at the mental picture of them using mothballs for "underwing B.O." I did a little Googling...looks like it is common behaviour.
Ihave a ?, I put out moth balls around my pool to keep moles from digging under my pool, I saw two black birds picking up the moth balls, and rubbing them under there wings. has anybody ever seen this and why would they do this?
Thanks for that info, I never seen anything like that before.
Just had to say . . . loved this post! I have seen a lot of crazy stuff w/ birds (and ohhhhh, how I DESPISE Grackles!!!!). But this thing w/ the mothballs . . . who knew??? Hee Hee Hee
Ok, I have another ?, How do you keep the birds from eating your grass seed, I used to shoot the little *****, but my neighbors dont like hot lead flying around, I tried those fake owls,but they just laugh at them, Im thinking of geting the old shot gun out as a last resort. My neighbors cat used to help, but he retired, and sits on the back porch, drinking scotch and sodas.
Ok, I have another ?, How do you keep the birds from eating your grass seed, I used to shoot the little *****, but my neighbors dont like hot lead flying around, I tried those fake owls,but they just laugh at them, Im thinking of geting the old shot gun out as a last resort. My neighbors cat used to help, but he retired, and sits on the back porch, drinking scotch and sodas.
Keeping birds away is a problem w/ seed . . . I have put up "noise makers" before, trying to keep Grackles away. Take pie pans, string several together like windchimes so they will make noise in the breeze - hand in trees. I even had a neighbor attach a string to the "noise makers" so she could pull it and jiggle it when the birds were around. She was having a BIG PROBLEM, LOL!!!!
I enjoy birdwatching and so don't want anything to actually harm the birds (except for blackbirds and grackles, wh/ I would LOVE to shoot). Intermittent water from a sprinkler also can help, but we are in a drought so that won't work at this time . . . Other than dogs and cats and children and various noise to keep the birds away . . . I don't have a solution.
I used to raise shelties and they loved to run after birds, so if you don't have a cat or a dog . . . maybe you should get one!!!
Once grackles start using treees as nesting places in the spring it is a very big problem to get rif of them. They will ignore all scare tactics in the end. This usually happens once a tree become very large and mature.The only solution is to make sure the tree of thsi type are not near the house that I have seen. Many peole cut down trees like thsi for that reason.
Once grackles start using treees as nesting places in the spring it is a very big problem to get rif of them. They will ignore all scare tactics in the end. This usually happens once a tree become very large and mature.The only solution is to make sure the tree of thsi type are not near the house that I have seen. Many peole cut down trees like thsi for that reason.
Try to attract some hawks, bald eagles or other birds of prey. Wont they eat the Grackles?
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When I stopped laughing at the mental picture of them using mothballs for "underwing B.O." I did a little Googling...looks like it is common behaviour. 
