DEAR JOAN: I was cleaning out my birdhouses over the weekend to get them ready for nesting season. One of the bird houses had a precision ring gnawed all around the metal guard protecting the opening, except for a small area at the top. Instead, the roof overhang was gnawed. Any idea who would do such a thing?
Marti, Danville
DEAR MARTI: It could be the work of one creature, but I suspect you might have two different animals remodeling your birdhouse.
Rodents and squirrels have a biological need to gnaw on things to keep their teeth from growing too long. The roof damage is likely their doing.
The ring around the opening sounds more like a bird trying to widen the entrance so they can claim the house or to make it easier for them to get in and grab future eggs and chicks of other birds.
You can try “painting” the bird house in hot pepper sauce to keep the rodents away, but there’s not much you can do about birds enlarging the entrance hole.
You should take an inventory of the birds visiting your yard and determine which are cavity dwellers. Then put out boxes that are made specifically for them. Species-specific birdhouses are built to the right size for the birds and have the correct opening size. It won’t stop a larger bird from remodeling, but at least you’ll be trying to provide the perfect home for the birds you have.
DEAR JOAN: I saw an ad in the paper for a hunting resort in Sonoma that talked about hunting quail. I thought it was illegal to kill the state bird.
Yvonne Moss, Concord
DEAR YVONNE: Although the California quail is the state bird and has protections afforded all migrating birds, it still is considered a game bird and thus can be hunted during specific seasons with a license and permit from the state. There are limits to how many quail can be killed per day, per hunter.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife divides the state into three quail hunting zones. Hunting season in all zones typically opens in mid October and runs through Jan. 30. It can start a little earlier and last a little longer depending on the zone and the hunter’s preferred weapon. Falconers, for example, can hunt quail with their birds from late August through the end of February.
DEAR JOAN: Every once in a while my dog regurgitates a little viscous yellow fluid. I assume it’s bile.
What do you think could be the cause of this? He is furry and often grooms himself. Could ingested hair be the problem? He often wants to eat grass, too, and I’ve been told that’s probably related to him throwing up.
D.J., Palo Alto
DEAR D.J.: If you haven’t already, talk to your vet. Bile is produced in the liver, stored in the gall bladder and released to help with digestion. Dogs are most likely to throw up bile when they have an empty stomach or are eating lots of fatty food. Eating grass can also cause it.
The vomiting could be a symptom of an ailment, or you might just need to adjust his food. My dog can’t tolerate fat, and his whole system goes crazy if he eats too much of it. Thus, he’s on a restricted diet and gets three small meals a day instead of one large one.
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