New Year's Resolution #1

Tolerate Mr. Squirrel

I didn’t think I would make any New Year’s Resolutions this year. I rarely ever do. And, this isn’t exactly a resolution anyway. But it is only the second day of a new year and I am making a small change in my thinking with this recent proclamation, so I why not call it a resolution?

The fact is that winter in the Ozarks isn’t supposed to be this cold. Temps have been below freezing for some time. I’m retired, so I really don’t have to venture outside if I don’t want to, or need to—to run errands, attend previously set appointments, or fill the bird feeders.

I seem to be doing the latter quite often during these cold days. It is pretty frustrating to have to reach almost to the floor of the garage just to scoop up a coffee can full of sunflower seed. After all, I buy seed in huge 40 lb. bags.

Running out of bird food would definitely qualify for having to leave the warmth and comfort of the house. But feeding my feathered friends is very important to me.

There is no wonder why the food goes so fast. One look out the window makes it quite clear—Mr. Squirrel.

I have not been happy with squirrels at the bird feeder for a few years now. They have proven to be quite gluttonous, stopping at nothing to feast on the food I put out for the birds.

This year though, I’ve noticed they haven’t been as destructive as in the past. Or perhaps I’m just becoming tolerant in my old age. Then again, perhaps it is a little of both. I’ve watched Mr. Squirrel for a while. This generation seems to be a little more civilized, only taking one seed at a time, scurrying off and coming back for more. He is a little more careful in his approach as well, which means the seed doesn’t scatter all over the place, the branches of the nearby Magnolia haven’t been decimated, and he isn’t just bullying the birds. There seems to be some sharing among them. So, as long as he and his friends behave, we won’t have a quarrel.

Suffice it to say, my resolution is qualified. I will try to get along with all the feathered and furry critters that come to visit as long as they get along too. Perhaps 2018 will be a peaceful year. We can only hope.

Well it didn't work for long

Arkansas squirrels can just go to hell!

That make-shift bird feeder mentioned in my last post didn't last long. Not only did the feeder fall to the ground once again, but so did the suet feeder and the hummingbird feeder. Big, fat, gluttony squirrels aren't very dainty when they go after what they want.

I have taken down the hummingbird feeder because I'm tired of picking up glass shards from the ground. It saddens me to see one or two hummers peering in the window as if to ask where it went. I try to tell them to go round to the front, but I imagine they know that anyway. Hummingbirds have to be smarter than squirrels.

At least the suet feeder doesn't break when the piggy squirrels ravage it. I just continue the habit of retrieving it and filling it up again. I'm not sacrificing the woodpeckers. This is the only feeder I have left for them. The beasts have destroyed all the others.

The front yard feeders aren't fairing much better. I've gone through an entire tin of pellets, shooting at the little varmints. I really don't want to kill them; I just want to deter them. Apparently dead is all they understand. I'm just not the killer type. That may change in the future!

Not perfect, but in a pinch...

One of the things that I love about living in the Ozarks is the tendency for folks make do with what they have. It isn't uncommon for some to assume that when something is broken, you pitch it and buy a new one, whatever the case may be. 

I subscribe to a different adage. If it's broke; fix it. I believe in and really admire those who use their head rather than just your wallet. Efficiency might as well be my middle name. And nothing gets me more fired up than solving a problem.

For the last several weeks, I have been ticked off at the aggressive bullying squirrels around here this year. They have cost me a fortune by eating more than their weight in bird seed, and in doing so decimated several bird feeders, eaten my plants, and broken pottery. They have generally been a big fat nuisance. I was so angry that I was inspire to write about my ongoing battle with the furry varmints in a previous blog post with the hope that others can relate. Misery does love company, you know!

So, this is my solution! And it works!

So far so good anyway! It occurred to me that despite this once pretty feeder being a little cockeyed from too many trips to the ground, it is basically still useful in that can still hang from a hook. It just no longer holds seed, a pretty serious flaw for a bird feeder.

I reasoned that just because the glass insert was smashed to smithereens, didn't mean I couldn't fix the thing. I scoured closets and china cabinets for a glass vase to put inside, upside down, to hold the seed. There were obvious problems with that solution, but the least of which was that each vase I had was either too wide to fit or too short to clear the metal rod that holds it altogether.

First thing this morning, I arrived at my solution. I finally cut the top and bottom off a quart container of half-and-half, just emptied with our morning coffee. I covered it with aluminum foil, cutting out little tabs at the bottom to allow the seed to flow into the holding tray. I filled it with seed and got my first feathered visitor shortly thereafter.

Oh, the squirrels were trying to get to it, but I used a pellet gun to scare the bejesus out of them. I'm not a very good shot, but the noise was enough to do the trick. They haven't been back. I'm sure they will be though, and I'm all loaded up with pellets in case they do.

Life is good here in the Ozarks once more!

OK squirrels, this is war!

Who knew that this quiet, unassuming, peaceful place I call home--the place that brings solitude, comfort, and harmony to my soul--would be the scene of an all-out battle?

I hate the idea of having to consider violence, and that is definitely a last resort, but I am about at my wit's end.

There used to be a bird feeder hanging from that cord.

This morning, while I was reveling in my breakfast of farm fresh eggs with a side of fresh-picked raspberries and blueberries, I heard a familiar crash. It was one I've heard before; I've heard it way too many times before.

I knew the growing number of resident squirrels have again knocked down the bird feeder. I went out, hopeful that it wasn't time for another trip to Walmart to pick up another one--again!

Just a few minutes before, I chased a squirrel away. He was inside the feeder, eating his fill of sunflower seeds not meant for him.

The dangling cord had been attached to the bottom of the feeder. One of the pesky critters  either broke it or bit it in half. Either way, the result, as evidenced by the picture, the fall broke the feeder. It will still hold seed if I can figure out a new way to attach the bottom to its top, still dangling from the eaves just outside our enclosed back porch.

I love sitting on the couch in that porch, watching the birds. There are always plenty of goldfinches, chickadees, titmouse, house finches, cardinals, and even a blue jay or two. There is a suet feeder also, which attracts some nuthatches and lots of woodpeckers. I watched lots of baby birds this spring travel from the branch to the feeder (as described here) and fill the entire backyard with song. It is a delight that I am not willing to part with, no matter what I have to do.

For the decade we have lived in this house, we have had bird feeders outside this window. Never before have squirrels been as intrusive and as numerous as they have this year.

I thought I had the problem solved when I bought this new plastic feeder. It hangs just below a squirrel baffle, designed to protect it from squirrels--I am laughing at that idea!

I was just sick when they destroyed my last feeder. It was really pretty.

Shown left, this cockeyed, twisted thing is all that is left of what had been a beautiful feeder. It was costly by my standards too. The ornate metal encompassed a glass cylinder which held the seed. It offered ample protection until the damned furry rodents rode it like a merry-go-round, spinning it around so fast that it completely unscrewed itself from the top piece that holds it altogether causing the fall. I had hoped the beasts rode it all the way down and got a jolt when it hit the ground. Shards of glass were everywhere, but I detected no blood. The feeder was the only casualty.

They used to come at it from the big oak tree, some seven feet away. They leaped; no flew at the feeder. More often than not, they missed and fell to the ground. Because of the slope of the property, this is like a second story window. They never seemed to hurt themselves though, so they kept it up until they found a better way. Their agility is matched only by their perseverance.

I do enjoy watching how they do it, until they become bullies about it. I despise bullying. They would make their way up the tree, onto the roof, and then jump to the teeny-tiny ledge just outside the window. Then it was just a small leap up to the feeder. They'd grab onto the metal sides and eat themselves silly.

Finally, I decided to string beer cans along the sill, so when they jumped onto them, they rolled off. That worked for a while. I actually thought I had them. Then they figured out that if they flattened the cans, they wouldn't roll anymore. In essence, they had their ledge back, and it was that much closer to their destination. It was just after that escapade that the bird feeder finally crashed to the ground.

I dutifully went out with my dust pan and whisk broom to clean up their mess.

I also have a hummingbird feeder hanging to the right of this setup. I can't count how many times I have picked that up off the ground when the monsters knocked it off its hook on their way to the bird seed. So far, I have been able to find all the little ribber flowers that protect the holes from bees and ants. There is always one or two missing that I have to search for.

I used to have a nice little setup in the front yard for feeding the birds until the monsters destroyed it.

Birds never got a chance to eat at the feeder on the left. The squirrel bullies didn't let them. The feeder on the right--the red one--is supposed to be squirrel proof. No such thing. That is broken now too, although that may have been the nighttime marauders responsible for that. Perhaps I can still fix it. It remains empty.

I've moved what is now the main feeder, the one on the left, to the front porch. It hangs from an overhang, so it is difficult for the beasts to reach it and it is too high for them to jump onto from the porch. I can't say they haven't tried. In doing so, they have broken numerous pretty flower pots I've collected. In the process, they have also eaten the tops off geraniums and petunias, and generally made a mess of my flowers.

Look at the arrogance and determination on that squirrel face. I think he is mad at missing out on his free meals. TOO BAD!

If I didn't hate him so much, I would admit how cute he really is. For now, I refuse to do that. After all, this is war!

Bluebirds vs. squirrel; Bluebirds win

While I hate to sound like I obsess over bluebirds, given my previous post about the pesky, little critters, I have to say the more I see of these birds, the more I admire them. 

This morning, I heard a noise outside my window. It sounded like a scraping and then a thump. There was a squirrel at the base of the bluebird's tree--the one that contains a nest box recently built by my husband, John.

The squirrel looked like he was hanging on for dear life as a male bluebird went about diving and hitting the thing. Now, I normally don't have much sympathy, or positive feelings about squirrels. They tease the dog, taunt my cats, and steal bird food. Though I will admit I enjoy watching their antics at times.

This morning, I sympathized with this obviously young squirrel--just a little. Poor thing was just trying to make his way down a tree--perhaps to get some exercise or make his way over to a bird feeder, which is where my sympathy would end.

The female bluebird sat inside the box, peering out as her man--er--the male bluebird instigated a death-defying battle. It looked as if she was cheering him on. She reminded me a little of myself as my husband dutifully checks off the completed items from his honey-do list. 

Soon the female bluebird joined him. That struck a familiar chord as well. There is no such thing in our house as gender-specific chores We both pitch in to take care of whatever needs doing. More often than not, we do them together.

The two birds were dive-bombing this poor defenseless young squirrel. If I could read the expression on his face, it would be one of bewilderment. He probably had no idea what he did wrong. 

The two birds perched on a branch before taking off. They flew almost straight down like barnstormer performing at an air show. They came right at the squirrel, slapping their bodies against him. At other times, they thrust their beaks into his fur. These birds meant business.

Finally, the squirrel scurried up the tree, and out of sight, using the back side of the tree, opposite the bluebird box. He was gone, so they settled down. It was quite a show.

I have wondered if there was anything inside the nesting box. I figured they built a nest, but I didn't know if it was filled with eggs or babies. Their behavior indicates this pair was being protective. While they were very aggressive, I can only imagine what it must be like to be a small bird in a world where there are so many other creatures bigger than you and most are predators who look at you as prey. Those birds must have viewed that squirrel as a terrorist. 

I admire the way they stuck together. They actually risked their own lives for the nest--parenthood at its finest. Any parent can understand that behavior as well. Birds and humans may be totally different species, but we obviously share many traits.