What's a woodpecker doing on a prairie?

Q: I saw an odd thing in a park where there were tall grasses and prairie plants: A downy woodpecker was pecking on a plant stem. I'm more used to seeing them in trees, and wonder what was up.

A: You have sharp eyes and noticed this small woodpecker searching for a plump, juicy grub. Canada goldenrod is often found in such prairies, and many of its stems feature a round growth in autumn. Inside these galls are the larvae of a small fly that feeds on plant tissue until hatching in the spring. Woodpeckers and chickadees relish the occupants of goldenrod galls for a high-energy meal and chip away until they get to the insect lurking inside. Downies tend to leave neat holes, while chickadees' small beaks lead to raggedy-looking holes.

Shouting sparrows

Q: Walking by some evergreen shrubs I heard the neighborhood house sparrows making a lot of noise. Why do they do this?

A: I call these "shout fests," the peeping and cheeping that a flock of house sparrows engages in from the shelter of a tree or shrub. There might be 30 or more sparrows inside a shrub, chirping and squabbling and making a great racket. Experts say the birds are communicating with each other about things like which birds have dominance in the flock and where good feeding spots are. They're a noisy species, and seem to enjoy making noise. A flock of house sparrows holds a shout fest before settling down for the night in a communal roost, and they seem to engage in noisy chatter at mid-morning, too, after they feed as a flock.

Water works

Q: I'm tempted to stop filling my birdbath until next spring. It's such a drag to keep it fresh in winter, when I can't use the hose. Do you think the birds would mind?

A: They'll miss a reliable source of water if you stop filling your birdbath. Water is hard to come by in winter, when most of it is frozen or falls in the form of snow. Birds need water in all seasons, so they'd really appreciate you keeping your birdbath filled. I hope you can fill a bucket at the faucet and swoosh out the bath each day. An outdoors heater will keep ice from forming. It's often said that a heated birdbath in winter brings in more birds than feeders alone will do.

Leaf free

Q: Should I do anything about the leaves that fall into my birdbath? I tend to leave them in there for a couple days until I flush out the birdbath.

A: Leaves are a part of nature, but they produce bitter tannins that birds find distasteful. It's best to refresh the water in your birdbath every day, but if this isn't possible, it's recommended that you pull out the leaves that accumulate.

Cat attacks

Q: Feeding birds brings me pleasure, as I watch them in the backyard. But my neighbor's cat roams outdoors and catches and kills songbirds in my backyard. I have spoken to her about this, but she believes it's OK for cats to kill birds. Any ideas for how to stop this?

A: I have cats, too, but I don't allow them outdoors because of the terrible toll that cats take on wildlife. A conservation organization called the American Bird Conservancy has been promoting its Cats Indoors campaign for a number of years, and says that outdoor cats in the U.S. kill 2.4 billion birds a year. This is horrific and unsustainable, with many bird populations under a variety of threats, not just from cats. Many cat owners feel that cats must be free to hunt, but might be open to a gentle education campaign. There are other ways for cats to enjoy the outdoors, including inside from house windows, on a leash or in an outdoor catio. In the meantime, locate your feeders away from shrubs that cats might hide in and place fencing around the birdbath so they can't lurk beneath. And I'd keep talking to that neighbor, emphasizing the toll that cats, a nonnative species, take on birds.

Winter menu

Q: I put out sunflower seeds and suet in the wintertime for birds. Is this enough?

A: You're offering two of the most popular food items on the winter bird menu. Black oiler sunflower seeds, with their fairly soft shells and high oil content, are favored by many backyard birds, including cardinals, chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers, finches and blue jays. And suet is an excellent source of energy for many of these birds (although cardinals are usually excluded from suet cages by their big beaks). Because house sparrows can be a problem, some people substitute safflower seeds for the sunflower seeds. And if you offer peanuts-in-the-shell for blue jays, you'll have many fun minutes of watching their antics as they carry off their favorite food.

Ducking ducks

Q: I enjoy watching the mallards in winter, one of the few ducks to be found. But why do they do that strange thing of lowering their necks and staring at each other?

A: You've got a good eye for bird behavior, and you're right, there aren't many other duck species around in wintertime. What you're seeing is courtship behavior, with a male mallard ducking his neck while facing a female, and she, in turn, does the same. They might do this off and on several times a day, helping to build their bond as a pair. In spring, this courtship behavior leads to mating.

Night sounds

Q: My neighbor told me she's been hearing an owl at night. Is this possible?

A: It's very possible. This is the time when great horned owls are hooting, in some cases to affirm their hold on a territory, and at other times to communicate with a mate. These large owls begin nesting very early in the year, in January or February, so it's not at all strange that your neighbor was hearing them in November. You might want to take a walk around the neighborhood and see if you spot a large structure or hole in a tree that the owls could be using for their nest. Great horneds don't do any nest building. Instead, they adopt the abandoned nests of red-tailed hawks, Cooper's hawks, even old squirrel dreys to serve as a nest. Once the eggs hatch, in February or early March, the female keeps nestlings warm with her body heat while the male brings in food.

St. Paul resident Val Cunningham, who volunteers with bird organizations and writes about nature for local, regional and national newspapers and magazines, can be reached at valwrites@comcast.net.