I could only get a glimpse at freeway speed, but it looked like the only openings were on the bottom. Are these bat houses, and what is the advantage of having them near the orchard?

Phil, San Jose

DEAR PHIL: I’m glad you didn’t try to get a good look at them, as you drove by. Imagine explaining to the highway patrol officer that you were distracted by bat condos.

Yes, those are bat houses. The openings to the houses are on the bottom of the structure so that bat guano falls to the ground and doesn’t muck up the place.

California produces 99 percent of the country’s almond crop, making it an extremely valuable asset. The bats, which are voracious insect eaters, help to protect the almonds from codling moths, which can easily wipe out almost half of the annual crop.

Each box provides daytime roosts for about 100 bats, and come dusk, the bats leave their home and swoop through the orchards looking for adult insects and larvae. Although the bats – mostly Mexican free-tailed and pallid bats – are small, they can eat up to 7 tons of insects a year.

The bats also are more efficient and better for the environment than using insecticides.

DEAR JOAN: Here is another deer story. We live up a hill in Almaden with lots of open space. One morning on our driveway camera, I saw a coyote come trotting quickly down from the open space up above us.

He stopped and looked behind him.Then came a deer skidding around the corner after him. She stared a minute and then charged. He took off into the orchard area. She stopped a minute and then took off after him. He ran back over the driveway and up the hill. She followed him and watched him go. I swear I could see her brushing off her hooves and snickering.

Pat DeWhitt, San Jose

DEAR PAT: Deer can be quite aggressive — and apparently smug.

DEAR JOAN: There is another probable cause for the squirrel’s bare spots on her back (mentioned in the Jan. 9 column). Squirrels have two breeding seasons per year, and babies start appearing on Valentine’s Day and July 4.

Figure in the gestation period — around 45 days — and you may find some romantic male might be the cause. We see the cycle quite regularly.

Ted, Antioch

DEAR TED: I should have thought of that. Some lively squirrel loving is a much better alternative to an itchy disease or a nest full of mites, although only the squirrel knows for sure.

DEAR JOAN: Do birds fly when it’s raining?

J.B., Oakland

DEAR J.B.: If they have someplace important to go.

Birds can navigate through most rainy weather, although not as easily as they can through clear skies. Like us, they prefer to stay out of the rain. But they’ll venture out to find food, not having access to Uber Eats, and with GrubHub being an entirely different thing to them.

Animal Life runs on Mondays. Contact Joan Morris at AskJoanMorris@gmail.com.

However, the pond cracked and now only fills, momentarily, during downpours. We do not see nor hear frogs until the moment the pond fills up, at which time they’ll keep you up at night with all their noise.

Where do they go when the pond is empty? And how do they make such a great comeback the moment the pond is full?

— Francisco, San Jose

DEAR FRANCISCO: Most California frogs live on land, not in the water. The ponds are mostly for making froggy love and raising tadpoles.

When not engaged in romance, frogs are pretty good at hiding out. When the weather gets too cold, most of the frogs will create a burrow underground – some choose the dry pond bed –  and snooze the winter away. It’s not a true hibernation, but it keeps them safe and warm.

When the water returns to the pond, they do some, let us say, active dating. The California red-legged frogs’ mating season is November to April, which coincides with our traditional rainy season. During dry years, if they can’t find any ponds or puddles to nurture their tadpoles, populations can drop drastically.

All the noise you hear coming from the pond when it is full are the sounds male frogs make to attract a mate and then sweet talk her into releasing eggs for him to fertilize.

There are frogs that live in water, but these non-native bullfrogs cause environmental upheaval. They are ravenous and eat smaller, less aggressive California native frogs and their spawn.

DEAR JOAN: I am very concerned about a fox squirrel in my backyard. She has been visiting our patio for several weeks now, and I have been feeding her walnuts, pecans and almonds, often in-shell. There are several other squirrels that feed from our bounty, but she is the bravest doesn’t scurry away when I approach. I never feed her directly from my hand (but) place the nuts along the top of our fence rail.

Yesterday I noticed that she has a bare spot on her back between her shoulder blades. It is quite large, and it appeared almost overnight. There is no visible sign of trauma. She does seem to scratch a lot.

If she has fleas or mites, is there any homeopathic supplement that I can feed her to assist with her recovery? My wife and I don’t try to make pets out of wild animals, but in order to identify her from the others we call her Sweet Potato.

I’m not usually one to interfere with nature, so I thought it prudent to consult you.

— Bryan, Concord

DEAR BRYAN: You can find some over-the-counter treatments for mange and scabies that are safe to give Sweet Potato and put it on food you know she will eat. However, it’s very difficult to treat these conditions in the wild because the source of the problem – possibly mites – lives in the nest, so Sweet Potato will continue to get infected.

Although it’s cold, most squirrels can survive fur loss. I recommend your hands-off approach. As long as she is hale and hearty, she should be OK.

Animal Life runs on Mondays. Contact Joan Morris at AskJoanMorris@gmail.com.

In our Livermore neighborhood, they will crawl on the grass and ground cover and end up being washed into the curbside rain gutter. As children we would “rescue” the worms floundering in the deep water. We didn’t want them to drown.

The worms will also emerge out of the cracks in the street asphalt after a heavy rain shower. Alas, most are crushed by passing vehicles or eaten by a murder of crows.

— Don Lenkeit, Livermore

DEAR DON: While those goofy worms are always up for rain dancing, the real reason has to do with a basic function necessary to life. They need to breathe.

Worms have neither lungs nor gills. Instead, they breathe through their skin, and although we’d be lousy at it, they breathe quite nicely underground. The soil has plenty of oxygen in it to suit the little squirmy invertebrates, but that changes when it rains.

The water displaces the oxygen in the soil, making it difficult for the worms to get enough air. It’s not so much that they drown, but that they suffocate. So the worms make their way to the surface and fresh air, although breathing above ground isn’t as easy for them as it normally is underground.

Scientists aren’t certain why they don’t return to the soil once the rain has stopped and the ground becomes less saturated. It could be that they lose their way and are unable to locate their dens from on top of the ground. As you can imagine, the above world is a lot different from the below, and they might become so distracted, confused or bothered by traffic, people and predators that they can’t act and become stranded.

While that’s all bad news for the worms, a lot of creatures that feast on worms aren’t complaining.

DEAR JOAN: Given our strange Bay Area weather (maple leaves falling while it’s snowing, nasturtiums are popping up), I wonder if the birds think it’s fall or spring.

Sparrows, juncos, chickadees, wrens are all over our yard. Have they not flown south yet? Will they stay through the winter, if it doesn’t get too cold?

— Pat, Los Altos

DEAR PAT: We’re all unsettled by climate change, so I don’t doubt the birds are a little confused, too. But they aren’t so unsettled that they’d go against their nature and not migrate.

Changes in temperature can either delay migration or send the birds off earlier than normal, but those changes occur more slowly, over many seasons and generations.

The visiting birds you have are among several Bay Area species that remain here year round. Through many generations, they’ve taken a liking to our more temperate climes. That doesn’t mean they don’t migrate. All birds do, but the native populations travel much shorter distances, moving further inland where food, water and shelter are more plentiful, or to traditional breeding grounds that have been established. That’s why at certain times of the year your yard is filled with birds, and at other times, they are few.

Animal Life runs on Mondays. Contact Joan Morris at AskJoanMorris@gmail.com.

But no matter what we believe or think we know, there are always surprises. Here are the biggest from 2022: 50 things we didn’t know when the year started.

1. While we knew the midterm elections would be … interesting, we didn’t know how crazy the campaigning would get, and that a promised Red tsunami wouldn’t quite reach the shore.
2. Speaking of tsunamis, who knew Taylor Swift would create a much bigger wave with the release of her album, “Midnights,” and that it would break records on its very first day and eventually claim all 10 spots simultaneously on the U.S. Top Ten.
3. So many of us would discover we couldn’t start our day without Wordle.
4. After some tearful and sincere goodbyes to 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in January, we’d be welcoming him back in September after off-season shoulder surgery, failure to work out a trade and the loss of QB of the future, Trey Lance.
5. Jimmy G’s Cinderella story would be ended by injury, and Mr. Irrelevant, Brock Purdy, would take over the starring role, surpassing all expectations and taking the 49ers into the postseason.
6. We probably didn’t guess that the latest food trend to sweep the nation would be the butter board, a smearing of softened, herbed butter, spread on a cutting board and dressed with edible flowers and veggies — an artery-clogging concoction that threatened to replace the charcuterie board in the hearts of hosts across the world.
7. After dealing with the Tide Pods challenge, people stacking and climbing milk crates to predictable ends, and folks eating Benadryl like candies, we would have yet another inane and dangerous stunt: Nyquil chicken.
8. Madonna, barely recognizable as herself  in 2022, would confess her anti-aging routine includes having her face massaged with dinner forks.
9. Those bell-bottom, flared jeans we’ve been hanging on to for years would once again be fashionable.
10. Alec Baldwin and his influencer wife, Hilaria, would welcome baby No. 7 while a cloud of culpability continued to swirl around him over the death of Halyna Hutchins.
11. Months after we seemed to get some control over COVID, we’d still be fighting over toilet paper and a variety of other items thanks to the old supply chain problems — and new virus mutations.
12. Russia invading Ukraine might not have been so unexpected, but that Ukraine would continue to defy the invaders and push them back certainly has been.
13. As 2021 closed, many thought we’d be heading back to work in offices, but we didn’t anticipate that we’d still be working from home throughout much of the year.
14. Who knew we’d be facing another pandemic threat? Fortunately, dreaded monkey pox wasn’t the horror we were warned about. RSV and flu, however, …
15. No one could have predicted Will Smith striding onto the stage and slapping the words right out of Chris Rock’s mouth at the Oscars.
16. We also didn’t expect that Florida would pass legislation that makes being gay or transgender way more difficult than it should be, leading thousands to protest the “Don’t say gay” bill.
17. For 50 years, we were confident that the Roe v Wade decision that made abortion a matter of personal choice. Who knew that would suddenly not be the case as the Supreme Court took away that option, triggering many states to impose harsh restrictions.
18. Tom Brady, who retired early in the year, would unretire and return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Even more unexpected was his less than stellar performance.
19. Elon Musk would buy Twitter, promising total free speech before clamping down on Tweets that mocked him, threatening to charge for access, laying off half of his employees, rehiring some and saying he would put the entire website behind a pay-for-play firewall, all in the first week.
20. Parents across the nation would be Googling alternatives when the supply of baby formula got tight.
21. None save true-believers would have predicted the Golden State Warriors would take another championship.
22. We would be privy to all the personal and often disturbing details of the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard marriage and divorce, played out in gavel-to-gavel televised coverage of Depp’s libel suit against Heard, and that the biggest star to emerge would be one of Depp’s attorneys, Camille Vasquez.
23. Gas prices would go over $6 a gallon and higher in some places, making us long for the good old days of $5 at the pump.
24. Inflation would settle across the world, led by the after effects of COVID, the war in Ukraine and corporate greed.
25. President Joe Biden would fall off his bike, but his approval rating would take a worse tumble.
26. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul, would be attacked in their San Francisco home by a hammer-wielding intruder who was allegedly aiming to force some sort of confession from Nancy or break her kneecaps.
27. The Jan. 6. Committee investigating the insurrection and former President Donald Trump’s role, would produce a series of polished televised hearings that revealed a series of jaw-dropping moments, including a subpoena for Trump himself.
28. Disgraced R&B star R. Kelly, convicted in 2021 on federal charges of sexual exploitation of a child, racketeering, bribery and sex trafficking would be sentenced to 30 years in prison.
29. Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson becomes first Black woman to serve as a justice on the Supreme Court.
30. Mar-a-lago, former President Trump’s Florida home would become a crime scene as the FBI searched it and recovered top secret files that shouldn’t have been there.
31. The New York attorney general would deliver the first in a series of crippling blows, filing civil fraud charges in an attempt to stop Trump from doing business in her state
32. Queen Elizabeth II would die, bouncing Charles into the role he spent his whole life preparing for … but all anybody really wanted to know is what happens to the corgis.
33. Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge would break an American League home run record, then turn down a more than $213 million contract with the Yanks to tempt San Francisco Giants fans with a possible move … and then say yes to a $360 million contract with those pinstriped guys after all..
34. USC and UCLA would announce they’d be abandoning their century-long relationship with the Pac-12 to join the Big 10.
35. In a shocking and perhaps meaningless decision, the Congressional committee seated to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol would recommend criminal charges be filed against former President Trump.
36. A cold wave would sweep across the nation at Christmas, leading to deaths and stranding travelers at airports. Most of the canceled flights would be on Southwest. Want to get away? Well, thousands couldn’t.
37. We weren’t expecting “Top Gun: Maverick” to be much more than a vanity project for its star, Tom Cruise, but dang, it would turn out to be a very entertaining movie.
38. Joni Mitchell would still have it.
39. Mauna Loa would remind us that even in paradise, there is danger.
40. It would be a tough year for football romances, with Tom and Gisele Brady headed to the divorce court and Aaron Rodgers and Shailene Woodley splitting up.
41. When Elon Musk wasn’t busy being Elon Musk, he’d be procreating, bringing another child into the world by yet another different woman.
42. Oakland’s own Amy Schneider would break “Jeopardy!” records to become a transgender icon and America’s brainy sweetheart, rounding off the year by winning the game’s Tournament of Champions.
43. Bruce Springsteen, the working guy and gal’s middle class hero, would start charging upwards of almost $1,100 a ticket for his concert.
44. Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes would be convicted and sentenced to 11 years in prison for defrauding investors.
45. Ken Jennings would take over regular hosting duties on “Jeopardy!,” but we’d still expect the announcer to introduce Alex Trebek.
46. We’d learn that maybe investing our dollars in crypto currency wouldn’t be our best idea of 2022.
47. A string of scandals would finally unseat British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, but his successor, Liz Truss, would swiftly seal her doom by sparking a financial-markets crisis with her announced plan for big tax cuts.
48. Infowars host Alex Jones would be ordered by a jury to pay $965 million in damages for repeatedly calling the 2012 Sandy Hook School massacre a hoax. Another $473 million would later be added in punitive damages
49. Ukrainan President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would make a surprise visit to the United States, meeting with President Biden and addressing a joint session of Congress.
50. We’d say goodbye to so many, including Brazilian soccer legend Pele, football great Franco Harris, dancer and choreographer Stephen “tWitch” Boss, actor Kirstie Alley, “Sesame Street” founding cast member Bob McGrath, San Francisco Giants great Gaylord Perry, actor Irene Cara, comedian Gallagher, singer Aaron Carter, rocker Jerry Lee Lewis, actor Leslie Jordan, actor Robbie Coltrane, actor Angela Lansbury, country music legend Loretta Lynn, rapper Coolio, actor Louise Fletcher, R&B and jazz great Pharoah Sanders, former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev, actor Anne Heche, singer-actor Olivia Newton-John, basketball legend Bill Russell, actor Nichelle Nichols, actor Paul Sorvino, socialite Ivana Trump, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, Shinzo Abe, actor James Caan, actor Ray Liotta, country singer Naomi Judd, actor Robert Morse, drummer Taylor Hawkins, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, actor William Hurt, actor Sally Kellerman, actor Howard Hesseman, comedian Louie Anderson, singer Meat Loaf, comedian and actor Bob Saget, director Peter Bogdanovich and actor Sidney Poitier.

I watched this little bird for several minutes, walked around it, and it didn’t move. Thinking it was just cold or resting, I went into the house. Several minutes later, I returned to check on this little bird, and it was still sitting there. It then flew a short distance to a bush, and seemed to follow me from bush to bush as I walked back to the house. 

I was torn. Was it just cold, or sick? It seemed to be asking me to take it into the warm house, which was not possible, as I have a cat. 

Several minutes later, I returned to check, and found the bird had flown (presumably) into the pool, and was deceased.

My question is: Was this bird ill, or could it have just been cold? What should I have done, under perfect circumstances?

— Nancy McKiernan, Sunnyvale

DEAR NANCY: From your description, it was an American goldfinch, and while most goldfinches migrate to warmer climates to the south, some of our goldfinches are more or less permanent residents of the Bay Area.

Even though we’ve had cold temperatures, the birds that we see in our neighborhoods are able to keep themselves warm, comparatively. Their feathers are great insulation, and they can puff themselves up to trap warmer air under the feathers and against their skin. Sure, we’d be complaining, but the birds abide.

We can’t know for certain what happened to the goldfinch in your yard. I think it’s very likely based on your description of its actions, that it was ill. Considering how quickly it perished, bringing it inside would not have helped. I’m afraid that it already was past the point of rescue.

Should you have another encounter such as this, you could attempt to capture it, place it in a shoe box or other container, and take it to a wild bird rescue.

DEAR JOAN: I want to redo part of my yard this winter. It faces East. I would like to put in plants that will attract birds and butterflies. I would appreciate any suggestions.

— Carolle Carter, Campbell

DEAR CAROLLE: There is an entire galaxy of plants to explore. The challenge will be in sorting them out and picking your favorites.

I’d recommend looking at California natives, which will not only be better acclimated to your yard, but will appeal to the birds and butterflies that live here. The plants, once established, will thrive on less water.

Your best option in narrowing your choices and falling in love with certain plants is to explore the nurseries in your area to see what they have to offer. Look for ones that have a large selection of California natives. Talk with the staff there about requirements for the plants regarding sun and water, and ask what some of their favorites are.

Books also are a good place to start, especially ones written specifically for the Bay Area and Northern California, such as “Native Plant Gardening for Birds, Bees & Butterflies: Northern California” by George Oxford Miller (Adventure Publications).

A fun website to explore is California Native Plant Society’s Calscape, calscape.org. You can put in your address and find suggestions for plants.

Contact Joan Morris at AskJoanMorris@gmail.com.

Do I need to be concerned about this?

— Sidney Mygatt, Los Gatos

DEAR SIDNEY: Chewing on things can be good for dogs, especially puppies, who can suffer teething pain, but antlers are not the best choice for puppies or adult dogs. At best, they should be provided in limited amounts.

One of the appeals for dogs – mine included – that go through a standard “chew” in a matter of minutes, is that antlers and other hard chew toys last longer. Antlers are not likely to splinter, and dogs usually aren’t able to break off small pieces and swallow them, which can lead to an emergency vet visit. But antlers are so hard, they can damage the enamel on the dog’s teeth and put dogs at increased risk of dental disease.

In general, chew toys should have some flex in them; how much depends on the type of dog you have. Dogs fall into three basic categories – the inhalers or gulpers, the destroyers and the nibblers.

Inhalers go through their chews in a matter of minutes. They tend to break off a bit and swallow it, bypassing the chewing exercise all together. I used to give my dog, Bailey, a daily Greenie, which is supposed to help dogs clean their teeth as they chew the treat. Bailey would finish off his Greenie in three unhelpful bites.

Destroyers rip their chew toys apart but don’t necessarily swallow them. They are adept at popping the stitches in plush toys and ripping out the guts, including any noisemakers inside. My sister’s dog was an expert at this. I loved bringing her new toys, which she would pounce on and play with for a while. Then you’d hear the popping sounds as she, with surgical precision, snapped each stitch and began removing the cotton stuffing. Costly, but entertaining to watch.

The nibblers are exactly what they sound like. They treat their toys with respect, chewing softly and making them last.

I suspect your grandpups are strong chewers. If so, look for rubber toys that have a little give in them – if you can’t press your thumbnail into the toy, it’s too hard to be chewed. And if you’re looking for chewable treats, many vets recommend “Whimzees,” a durable, edible treat.

DEAR JOAN: Regarding the deer chasing the coyote, our deer seem to be quite capable of looking after themselves and their progeny regarding coyotes. Mountain lions are a different game.

I have a video of one of our does chasing a coyote. Also, one time backpacking at about 9,000 feet, we had a fawn come running towards us closely followed by a coyote, however right behind the coyote was mom. The fawn continued by us, and the coyote split off the chase. Mom did follow the fawn.

— Jeff, Pittsburg

DEAR JEFF: We should never underestimate the fierceness of a mom protecting her offspring.

Contact Joan Morris at AskJoanMorris@gmail.com. The Animal Life column runs on Mondays.

We began feeding him, and he started hanging around and chasing away other cats, including a neighbor’s cat that visited frequently. I bring him into the house to be petted before I feed him.

Lately he has begun to nip at my hand, arm or leg, sometimes drawing blood. What could be the cause of this action?

— Richard Steele, Hollister

DEAR RICHARD: The best answer is probably “because he’s a cat,” but I’ll try to get more specific.

Cats bite for all sorts of reasons. Three common ones are: They’re playing, they’re tired of playing, they’re angry. Kittens, like teenagers with newly minted driver’s licenses, have to learn from experience — in the cat’s case, how to use their nails and teeth. They practice on their siblings and sometimes their mom, all of whom let them know when they bite too hard.

When adult cats have been on their own, having to hunt for their meals or compete with other animals for handouts, they can become food aggressive. Your ginger tom might perceive you as competition for thefood, even though you’re the one providing it.

He might also be overly excited to be getting food. When cats become over-stimulated, they can lash out with teeth or claws.

Another possibility involves the cat’s natural instinct to hunt, and because Ginger has been living on the streets, his hunt drive could be running hot.

It’s important to know that cat bites are ways of communicating. Painful ways, but as they can’t speak our language and haven’t mastered texting, this is how they do it. Our job is to figure out what they are trying to say.

If you feed the cat after a petting session, he might be too worked up. Try feeding first, petting later.

If he wants to hunt, try laying a trail of food for him, placing a few morsels leading up to the dish so that he has a chance to stalk the wild kibble.

When you go to feed him, if you detect signs of anger – flicking tail, ears laid back – he might think you’re going to take food from him. In this case, put the food in the bowl before you let him in to eat and keep a safe distance from the feeding area.

All animals carry germs and bacteria in their mouths, and bites can easily become infected. Be sure to wash the wound immediately and apply an antibiotic cream. If it’s a deep bite, you should see your doctor. And if you haven’t had a tetanus shot, get one now.

DEAR JOAN: I want to get a real Christmas tree instead of using our pre-lit artificial one that is starting to look a little grubby, but we have a dog this year and I worry about him around the tree. What are the risks?

— Angie A., Martinez

DEAR ANGIE: It depends on your dog. Until you know how the dog acts around the tree, don’t leave them alone with it.

You should introduce the tree into the household slowly, putting it up and leaving it bare for a day or so before adding lights and ornaments.

If you get a real tree, don’t let the dog drink water from the tree stand, especially if you use chemicals to help preserve the tree. If you suspect your dog has swallowed needles – real or fake – or anydecorations, consult your vet immediately.

Contact Joan Morris at AskJoanMorris@gmail.com.

On several occasions, I have noticed what appears to be several deer chasing a coyote on one of the many critter trails throughout Briones and Dutra Ranch. I’m wondering if this was just a coincidence or actually what I might perceive as Unusual Deer Behavior.

— Jim Dippo, Martinez

DEAR JIM: Unusual behavior? I don’t know that I’d say that. Coyotes attacking deer is far more common, but while the coyote is looking to eat, the deer is looking to not be eaten. They’re going to fight back.

It would be unusual for a gang of deer to stalk a coyote, but I think in this case, the deer were acting proactively. I think it likely that the coyote was minding its own business, and the deer probably wanted to drive the coyote out of the territory, or at best, give it something to think about should it decide in the future to have venison for dinner.

As you saw just one coyote, the odds were definitely in the favor of the deer. Although a single coyote is capable of bringing down even a big buck on its own, the bigger threat is when a pack is involved. Although a deer is not much of a match against a coyote, there are known cases of deer fending off coyotes.

DEAR JOAN: Maybe you can help with this flying mystery I’ve got at my homestead. This dove, or pigeon, showed up out of the blue a few months ago. It has taken up residence on the roof of a shed attached to the front of my workshop.

It will also sometimes mooch food from a neighboring business. I feed and water it every day. It is sheltered by the overhang of my shop roof, but seems to often sleep in some of the neighboring trees on the property.

The leg band appears to read “Iraq  2021.” I’ve tried contacting several homing pigeon clubs in the Bay Area, but none have responded. One of their sites mentioned the significance of different band colors, but none that I could find mentioned green ones.

It seems to be tame, and comfortable around people, but so far hasn’t let me touch it.

— Mike Walko, Knightsen

DEAR MIKE: Researchers band birds to help monitor their movements and life spans. Pigeon racing clubs also keep track of their birds with bands denoting the club and the specific bird.

To report a found racing pigeon, you can email American Racing Pigeon Union’s website at www.pigeon.org/pages/foundbirdcontact.html. You can email the Elk Grove club at frozenfire519@gmail.com.

It’s getting cold out there, so you might want to look at getting the bird a warm, safe place to hang out.

Contact Joan Morris at AskJoanMorris@gmail.com. The Animal Life column runs on Mondays.

Shirley Sprague, Concord

DEAR SHIRLEY: You don’t suppose they’re looking for an invitation to Thanksgiving dinner, do you?

Let’s start with why there are turkeys here in the first place. They aren’t native to California, although a species once thought to be more peacock than turkey, Meleagris californica, did live in Southern California around 12,000 years ago. The species went extinct, perhaps because extended drought reduced the amount of vegetation they needed to thrive.

The first turkeys arrived in California in the 1870s, coming with settlers who brought a variety of livestock. In the 1900s, the California Fish and Game Commission began importing turkeys for a recreational hunting program. The birds they brought in, however, were farm-raised domestic breeds that were mostly clueless about how to survive on their own. In the 1950s, the commission began importing wild turkeys that actually knew a thing or two. Now, there are at least 250,000 of them throughout the state.

Turkeys, despite an undeserved reputation of being dumb, are quite smart, and they’ve learned that developed areas provide them with the things all living beings need — food, water and a place to roost.

The turkeys breed in the spring, and the males then go off to do tom turkey things while the females raise their broods. The young turkeys, called poults, stay with their mothers until they are old enough to breed — around 7 months for males and up to 2 years for females.

For companionship and help in caring for their young, the females will often form flocks. At this time of the year, what you’re likely seeing is an all hen-flock, with immature male and female poults.

Although it’s not migration as we typically thinking of it — the turkeys don’t fly south for the winter — they do move throughout the Bay Area, usually in search of food, water and safe lodging.

DEAR JOAN: I have a bird bath in my yard that seems impossible to keep the algae out of. Do you have any suggestions as to how to clean it?

Chickie, San Jose

DEAR CHICKIE: You have a number of options, starting with the placement of the bath.

Choose a shady spot, away from trees and hanging plants. Regularly changing the water will help, too. Empty the bath, scrub the basin with a weak solution of water and vinegar, rinse well and set it in the sun to dry before refilling.

You also can look for commercial enzymes to reduce algae. Just make sure it’s safe for the birds and other animals. Lastly, some people believe adding copper objects to water prevents or reduces algae, but before tossing a few pennies in the pot, know that there’s no scientific proof that it does anything.

Contact Joan Morris at AskJoanMorris@gmail.com.