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Sunday in the yard with squirrels
Posted Aug 31, 2010 by Kim Franke-Folstad
Updated Aug 31, 2010 at 05:07 PM
It worries me a little that we had so little to do with our time this weekend that we decided to torture our backyard squirrels.
And by torture I mean with mind games. (Yep. We were pretty bored.)
The back story, of course, is that we are always dealing with squirrels on our bird feeders. We tried one of those “squirrel proof” feeders a while back. It was a complete failure; the squirrels didn’t touch it at first, but they eventually got the hang of it. Unfortunately, the birds never did.
So we’re back to the old set-up. Which means when there’s food in the feeders, the squirrels are all over them.
My husband, Rick, doesn’t mind the squirrels so much, but he does get tired of filling the feeders all the time. So he decided to mess with our local B&E experts. He set an old owl decoy under the feeder the squirrels like best, to see if it would scare them away.
And they fell for it! At least for a while – long enough to give us a fun little show. For a while they wouldn’t get near the thing. The one above didn’t get past the path. The one below hid out in a pot filled with sea grape.
Finally, the squirrels decided to take turns getting a closer look. This one did some recon from the top of the arbor.
Maybe he got bored. Maybe he was hungry. But he finally worked up the nerve to climb a little closer. And he started yelling at the owl.
Oops. Out popped our lab mix, Dash. She didn’t like the owl any better than the squirrels did. The hair on her back stood on end and she growled and went in for a closer look.
We called Dash back, and the squirrels returned. This guy was having a fine time feasting on our other feeder.
This squirrel got close enough to the owl to talk it out. But he still wasn’t sure he could make it to the feeder.
He stopped halfway up the pole to take one more look …
And he decided to go for it.
Once the squirrels figured out that the owl didn’t actually MOVE, they were back at it. We took turns running after them clapping for a while.
But if you can’t beat ‘em, you eventually join ‘em. So Rick took a pack of peanuts that came in the Sunday paper and tried to get the squirrels to come out of hiding. He didn’t have any takers.
For his next trick, he decided to remove both feeders from their poles. The squirrels were completely confused by this point.
They eventually got plenty of bird seed, though. It started to rain, and we left both feeders out on the deck.
I’ve written about squirrels and feeders before. But from now on, instead of trying to keep them away, we may just play games for amusement. It sure kept us busy on a hot Sunday when we didn’t much feel like doing yard work!
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Reader Comments
Posted by (Chip) on August 31, 2010
Kim if you want to see something, hang a small jar of peanut butter on a tree. Have your video camera ready! the squirrels will go bonkers. Just make a small hole in the top big enough for a string to go through hang it 12-16 inch’s and back off and get your camera ready! talk about funny..“Chip”
Posted by (Susan Gillespie) on September 01, 2010
That’s funny, Kim. It is annoying to have the squirrels eat up all your bird seed but they can be quite fun to watch while they are trying to get at it. I did splurge on a Duncraft tube feeder for one of my bird feeder poles and the squirrels and doves can’t seem to get at the seed in that one. So I left the other feeder for them. Something for everyone.
Your yard looks lovely. The view to the water must soothe your soul every day.
Posted by (kgardens) on September 01, 2010
Too funny, Kim. Squirrels can eat a LOT of birdseed. I put squirrel baffles on my feeder poles and so far they haven’t been able to get past them. The white-winged doves are another story. But, at least they’re BIRDS eating at the feeder.
Posted by (Susan Gillespie) on September 01, 2010
The peanut butter jar sounds like a fun show to watch, Chip, but I think, being the visual person I am, I need a picture of how to pull that off. Do the squirrels unscrew the cap? Maybe I don’t understand the mechanics.
Posted by (Chip) on September 01, 2010
Susan all you need to do is poke a hole in the lip of the peanut butter jar attach a string and with the lid off hang it any where you have squirrels! they cant help themselves they go bonkers. if you want put a little bit where they can get to it the first time after that make it as hard as you can and watch them figure it out and they will. Cambridge University in England offered a full scholarship for the first student to come up with something truly squirrel proof they worked on it all year long in the end the maze was huge and complex and the squirrels won! so there is no such a thing as a squirrel prof bird feeder.I watched this on P.B.S…“Chip”
Posted by (Susan Gillespie) on September 01, 2010
Oh I see. Thank you, Chip. My sister, Cindi, would kill me though. She thinks they are just rats with cute tails. Feeding them would appall her. I bet that would be funny though.
Posted by (Kim Franke-Folstad) on September 01, 2010
Ha! I call them “tree rats,” too!
I think the best show comes from those feeders that twirl the squirrel until it falls off, but those are waaay too pricey for me.
I’m going to share Chip’s peanut butter trick with Rick and we’ll see what adventures we have next!
Posted by (SusanB) on September 01, 2010
Great story and pictures…I thought I was the only one that tried to out smart those critters. It does not work, we have done about everything to keep them off the bird feeders. They have their own special feeders but they are not content, they know the bird feeders have different goodies.
Posted by (Pumpkin) on September 01, 2010
Kim, Great photos, sounds like you and your husband had a very relaxing weekend. I have two squirrels proof feeders and they eat the plastic and got to the food. Meems just told me to get squirrel proof food,just filled the feeders and will let you guys know.
Chip, I am going to hang the peanut butter jar this weekend. Pumpkin
Posted by (Vidisha Priyanka) on September 02, 2010
I am so done with the squirrels eating the bird seeds. They not only eat the bird feed, they ate my feeder too. Chewed it up so bad that I can’t use it anymore. So I am looking for squirrel repellent bird feeders and I found some great videos on youtube. Some are really cruel, but some, that fling them away are just great. Look for bird feeders by Droll yankees and search for “The Launched Squirrel (Spinning)” by ChinookPainting
Posted by (Chip) on September 04, 2010
I am so happy to see new folks here! and please send in photos we all love to see each others gardens and projects. as for me I am finishing my compost beds this weekend. Its one of those kind of projects that you hate to do because it is a lot of work, but you do it because it does work! and finishing it is the best part and the end is in sight so “back don’t fail me now!” B.T.W. I have a few celery popping up now those guys have the smallest seeds I have ever worked with so I will baby them along. I hope everyone has a great labor day…“Chip”
Posted by (Pumpkin) on September 07, 2010
Penny, Did you and your daughter go to Shells? Pumpkin
Posted by (Kim Franke-Folstad) on September 08, 2010
You all are making me sad that I’m not doing veggies this year. I just don’t have a good place for them. I’ve filled the whole yard with flowers and trees. (Some are fruit trees, does that count?)