MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • February 6, 2022
It is surprisingly common to observe blue jays “attacking” a house, and in particular going after the paint. the Cornell Lab of Ornithology did a study on this devilish jay behavior. The jays are looking for calcium to supplement their diet, and many paints get their pigments from sources like limestone or chalk (calcium carbonate). How to fix this? Put out crushed eggshells as an alternative to your paint; just make sure that you sterilize them first by boiling or heating them in a 250ºF oven for 20 minutes. The other solution is a deterrent. Put something between the jays and the place they’re stripping your paint. I’ve had success hanging “tin” pie plates. ~ Maine Audubon Staff Naturalist Doug Hitchcox