I put up a peanut wreath in a failed attempt to keep the blue jays out of the tray feeder by distracting them. Instead, I’ve attracted every blue jay within a five mile radius. Similar to the lesson I learned many years ago when trying to eliminate Japanese beetles from my garden - put out a beetle trap and instead of just having a few, you've attracted all of the beetles into your yard. Your neighbors love you, though, because they no longer have a beetle problem.
You would think I’d have remembered that.
One silver lining is that nuthatches and tufted titmice also love the peanut wreath. Except they can't pull the peanut out whole like the jays can. They peck away at the shell until they extract the peanut, which is still too big for them to eat. I have no clue what they do with it after they free it from the shell but they're pretty proud of themselves and they don’t give up until they've retrieved their prize. I love watching their determination, even if there are already shelled peanuts in three of the other feeders O_o
