In the battle with the young squirrels attacking the bird feeder I lost several skirmishes. Each time I had to revise the original squirrel guard. Why am I so focused on beating the squirrels? Good question. I feed birds for my amusement. Yes, but I also feel extra sorry for them during the winter months because the food sources are greatly diminished. The squirrels have the same food shortage, but they don’t amuse me as much as the birds. Although they have given me great joy in watching them defeat my mechanisms for keeping them out of the larder.
I spend a good deal of money buying bird seed, in fact I almost swore at the checkout person the last time I paid for twenty pounds, it rang in at $45.95. Then, when I came home and left the bag unopened and unattended in the garage overnight, I found a hole had been chewed through by a resident mouse. I’m being attacked from all fronts.
Feeding a squirrel compared to a bird is like feeding a Saint Bernard compared to a Yorkshire Terrier. They consume a lot of food and eat several times a day. Not to mention that it isn’t one squirrel it can be six or more. They come from every tree in the neighborhood.
Design number one (R1) was a six inch stove pipe suspended from the feeder and surrounding the pole. The theory is that between the diameter and the slippery surface the rodents will avoid climbing the outside. Squirrels are very smart and within nano seconds they determined that the best route was to squeeze through the center of the pipe while climbing the wooden pole. I knew this would fail, but I wanted to see just how effective this deterrent would be. Zero!
The second design (R2) had me drill a series of holes around the perimeter of the pipe and to fill them with long screws. The idea was to make the squirrel hit the screw and to back down. This system lasted about fifteen seconds. They just wiggled past the screws and up the pole.
Revision 3 (R3) I added a series of wooden blocks to fill the voids between the pipe and the post. Again, it took about forty-five seconds to find a spot through which the animal could wiggle his way past. Less slender squirrels just chewed on the wood and made an opening that allowed a new highway to open.
Now for the latest version, I removed the pipe and took it to my operating room, the “Shop.” I traced the diameter of the pipe on a piece of scrap pine and cut it out on the band saw. Next, I did the same for the post. Then I screwed the filler piece to the inside bottom of the pipe. After reinstalling the pipe on the post I filled whatever little space there remained between the post and pipe with wood blocks. The results are in the video below.
See the Squirrel chewing away at wood fillers trying to find space enough to squeeze through to the pole. Notice the pile of wood chips laying around the base of the pole.
I think this revision completes the job, but I fear he may chew through the post like a beaver and I’ll find my feeder crashed to the ground
is the longest it took for Super Squirrel to beat my modified squirrel guard. In a previous post I told the story about how I had to build a new bird feeder and how the squirrels found it fast. I’ve been through this process before, and I know what I have to do keep these little pests out. I love squirrels just as I love birds, but I abhor squirrels who eat all the bird food before the birds get any. My challenge is to deter the rascals by out smarting them. So far I am losing.
The modification I made was minimal, but took only a few minutes to implement. I drilled a series of holes around the perimeter of the stove pipe and filled the holes with two inch long screws. I thought this would do the trick, but the industrious Super Squirrel kept at it until he learned that there was enough room between the barrier screws to squeeze between them. Now that he has learned the knack, he can make it up the pole under the stove pipe in a one super smooth move.
There are several steps to try next, but have I have a conundrum. Do I waste time implementing small steps or do I do what is right, and stop the nonsense?
Before I modify the stove pipe again I have set out a suet feeder on a tree away from the bird feeder. The hope is that Super-Squirrel will prefer some tasty suet over plain old seed.
The new bird feeder is paying off big time. Although it will cost me an arm and a leg to keep it full. The pleasure of seeing a flock of birds pecking away at seed on the ground and in the feeder more than makes up for the cost. I even enjoy watching the occasional squirrel stuffing himself. No doubt I will join the group of squirrel challenged adults and join in the Squirrel Olympics. There is nothing more mentally challenging than watching these athletic rodents and devising methods to deter them. To date, my record is zero versus 100’s of wins for the tail flipping critters.
While scrolling thru Facebook I came across a piece titled “How to Wash a Cat.” I read it and liked it. In fact I laughed out loud when I did. Lovely’s grandson now lives with us, and part of the deal was to allow his cat to come with him. When I read this piece I immediately copied it for him. I thought he might like it too. Here are a few of the reactions to the piece:
“My cat is clean it never needs to be washed”
“How cruel.”
“Is this a joke?”
I was wrong. This incident has taught me that cat owners take their cats very seriously. I showed the piece to Lovely and got a similar reaction. In both cases they took the post literally, and found no humor in it.
I like the cat whose name is Katusha. Her breed has distinctive yellow eyes with vertically elliptic pupils and jet black fur. Her tail has a distinctive curve when she walks about. Even though I like her I also appreciate a good joke. Here is what I am talking about, maybe you can help me understand the matter.
