An On-going Battle: Birdfeeder vs. Squirrels

Bird feeders often find themselves in an on-going struggle with squirrels that snatch the feed intended for the birds.

We, of course, are not exempt from the squirrel vs. bird feeder struggle. In an issue I've chronicled before, we struggle with the birdfeeder marauders as much as the next person.

I empathize with my husband, who takes painstaking efforts to secure his birdfeeders. During his experiments, he uses a variety of strategies in order to stop the bushy-tailed marauders from pilfering the seeds from the birdfeeders outside our window. He even provided them with their own squirrel feeders in an attempt to appease the greedy squirrels.

And for awhile there, it looked as if Marty had won the war through the use of squirrel feeders.

But, sadly, a few weeks later, we discovered that Marty had only lost the battle. After many exasperating months of trying different “squirrel-proof” feeders, hanging them in locations difficult for the pesky rodents to reach, the frustrated birds returned to enjoy their preferred bounty without competition from the ravenous wee beasties. Now they were devouring the bird seeds at what seemed like record-breaking speed.

Not to be humiliated or defeated by the furry rodent gang, my husband busily began trimming tree branches, making it impossible for the squirrels to reach the birdfeeders. And rewarding his strong-willed perseverance, it seemed the squirrels had offered a truce. Marty happily sat back with his binoculars, watching the contented birds fearlessly filling their bellies,

So the moment I heard the blood-curdling cry, “Oh no, not again!” emanating from Marty’s office the other morning, accompanied by a slamming door and hurried footsteps running down the hall, I knew we were in trouble again.

Never underestimate the tenacity and resourcefulness of a highly motivated squirrel. I say this because apparently one of our birdfeeders has been targeted by a clever plump, brown bushy-tailed rodent who is a gifted contortionist. With gymnastic skill rivaling that of Paul Hamm, the 2004 Olympic gold medal winner, he is able to easily stretch his whole body the length from a tree branch to the bird feeder which hangs several feet away. He then uses his front paws and grabs a mouthful of seeds, sitting back on the branch with what resembles the Cheshire cat’s grin.

But my husband is not giving up.  Even though this squirrel ignores the feeder he has magnanimously provided him, coupled with the rodent’s blatant disrespect, Marty’s Holy Grail remains victory.

Help Marty remain faithful to his cause by leaving him a few encouraging words in a comment.