Surprise! Steller’s jays make excellent use of an old nest

DEAR JOAN >> I never thought that small birds reuse old nests, but just when we were about to have work done on our house, I noticed a Steller's jay in an old nest in a tree next to our house.

We had the experience two years ago of having a Steller's jay family build and use this nest to hatch three young jays. Many times we had to be careful to not get too close to the tree, so that we would not have one of the parents chase us off.

One day one of the hatchlings got out of the nest and ended up on our driveway. I needed to back the car up, so I tried to encourage the young bird along, without touching it, of course.

I had no idea both parents were quietly keeping watch in a nearby bush, and I had to run away when they started squawking and flying towards me to show how upset they were that I was even within 10 feet of one of their young birds.

Based on that previous experience, I recently called the company planning to work on our house to reschedule the work for two months later to make sure the workers did not disturb the nest and to keep them from being chased off by angry birds. — Roger S., Los Gatos DEAR ROGER >> You're a good man, and one who knows better than to mess with a jay.

Birds will sometimes reuse nests, but it depends on the type of the bird and, quite frankly, their mood. Some will do major renovation on their old nests and raise a new family, while some will move into any old nest and wing it, pardon the pun. Some birds will even build a few nests, then decide which one to live in.

It's best to wait until the fall to remove old nests to improve chances that they aren't being occupied, but even if birds don't reuse them, they do recycle them in the spring, pulling out the choicest parts of the nest to use in building a new one.

It would have been OK for you to touch the young jay in your driveway as long as you were gentle. The mama and papa, however, probably would have pecked you silly. Retreat was the best option.

DEAR JOAN >> One of your readers posed a question regarding the quail chick that did not make it out of the storm drain, wondering if parent quail are aware of how many chicks they have. I believe so; here's why:

One morning I watched as a wild turkey mom led nine of her chicks through a hole in the chain-link fence that separates my neighborhood from the open space beyond. She marched the chicks into the neighborhood and down one of the streets. Soon they were out of my view.

The problem was that two of the chicks missed the hole and continued walking along the fence line and now didn't know how to reach their family. I watched this little drama and wondered how it would play out. Soon the mom — with her brood in tow — came running back with wings flapping and cries of anguish.

Because the two had been silent during their mishap, my guess is the mom had done a headcount. She retrieved the two and they all marched on together. It was quite a heartwarming display. — Lindsey, Bay Area DEAR LINDSEY >> The instincts of a mother, in any species, is something we can count on.