Feeding the squirrels

[SoonerBill]

Try feeding hummingbirds. Super entertaining. You get all day dogfights with amazing flying. They are fearless. I’ve been berated by a hummer hovering in my face for refilling the feeder. On cold mornings, if I’ve brought the feeders in to prevent freezing, they are right there at first light.

They don’t fly at night.

Easy hummer mix: 1 cup sugar, 2 cups very hot water. Stir, cool. Keep the feeders clean, so just enough syrup for the day in warm weather. They can stay full in cold weather.

The little beasts run on pure sugar.

Mom had a hummingbird feeder right outside the kitchen window. They really are entertaining.

 

[Gopherbassist]

Day 4.

I've neglected the squirrels for several days. Today I break that trend.

Again, I see no squirrels. Where are they?

 

[Iridescentone]

Day 4.

I've neglected the squirrels for several days. Today I break that trend.

Again, I see no squirrels. Where are they?

To a squirrel, we're only as good as our last handout. Disappointed and angry, your bunch may have hooked up with another sugar daddy down the street. You may have to up your game to get them back.

 

[Iridescentone]

Squirrel feeding can be fun; this guy has taken it t the next level.

LOL They're amazing little acrobats aren't they? They used to steal my bird feed, even repelling across a 20 ft clothesline to bust open suet blocks I had hanging in metal containers.

Then I discovered a "squirrel proof" bird feeder that actually worked. You can see it in this pic below if you zoom in, mounted on the trunk of this big maple tree. A spring loaded bar ran across the bottom of the feeder. Squirrels are heavy enough to overcome the spring tension that lowers the bar, preventing access to the food. But not birds. Ingenius! And hilarious watching the resident squirrel family trying to get at the food, to no avail.

That feeder attracted mucho birds, including rare ones that are seldom seen around Chicago, like American yellow canaries, and Indigo Buntings. But after a few months another type bird showed up to feed, enmasse. Clever little finches that worked together in groups of ~50 birds at once.

Instead of taking turns at the feeder, one of them would stay perched on the feeder bar like a sentinel, flicking loads of seeds out onto the ground so the whole flock could eat at once. Teamwork! They came every day, were done dining in less than 10 minutes, then all flew off together. Birds aren't always efficient eaters, so there were always plenty leftovers on the ground. Once the squirrels realized what was happening, they never went hungry again, and never bothered trying to break into that feeder again, either. Squirrel proofing foiled again! LOL

 

[SoonerBill]

^ They are definitely acrobats. Our patio cover top is wood, 1 inch wide slats. The squirrels run along the bottom upside down. Apparently gravity doe not apply to them.

 

[singlemalt]

You lucked out with that fallen trunk!

 

[Major Seven]

^ They are definitely acrobats. Our patio cover top is wood, 1 inch wide slats. The squirrels run along the bottom upside down. Apparently gravity doe not apply to them.

That would imply quantum relativistic effect also doesn't.

 

[Bob_Ross]

We have a lot of Desert Ground Squirrels around here, and clearly they love Clif Bars!

 

[SoonerBill]

The birds gather around looking expectantly at me.

A couple birds have started looking in. And the squirrel has stood up with his front paws on the door.

 

[BioDriver]

Feed crows instead, become the neighborhood goth/leshy

 

[Iridescentone]

You lucked out with that fallen trunk!

Oh I know. It was rotten inside from carpenter ants. A storm with 100 mph winds took it down. Lucky for me, no damage to my property. Unlucky for the neighbor who's fence it was, though. She lost a buncha plants and some patio furniture. Worst of all her brand new Taurus was totaled. Then she got royally screwed by Allstate Ins. She was furious. Even the far neighbor got fence damage.