Squirrel Tales

We all know the wiliness of squirrels and how they use bird feeders as their dinner table and food. But a metal feeder, rectangular, built to look similar to a house with a removable roof, that has an overhang, seemed squirrel-proof. It had a ledge along the front of the feeder holes, which would make the rear part come up, when any weight was put on it, and cover the feeder holes. - It did not take long and the squirrels figured out that the bird feeder was just in arms' length hanging on a flower pot hook, which extended out from the deck railing about 1 plus foot. To reach the feeder holes, the squirrel had learned, not to put any weight onto the ledge of the feeder front, but to curl its tail over the railing of the deck, and stretch itself out to full length, and thus was able to simple reach the openings with its feet and take out the seeds, then sit back onto the railing and happily nibble on them.

So, I tried to lower the feeder, hoping it would not be able to reach out and down far enough from the railing. But within a few tries, it decided to use the upright struts of the railing, curl its tail around them and thereby reach the lower-hanging feeder again. It had turned sideways, being on an additional flower hook, which I had hung onto the metal extended solid hook.  But the squirrel learned to simply takes its paws and swing the bird feeder toward it to reach the feeder holes.

Finally I thought of turning the feeder around, put it back onto the original hook, but with its solid back facing the railing and deck.  This deprived me of being able to see the birds feed, and deprived the squirrel of the bird food altogether.

And even though there is a pine tree in front of the feeder, about two arm-lengths away, it will not help the squirrel, because it would have to jump onto the ledge, and the feeder holes because of the weight, would be closed.

Of course, it took the birds a few minutes to learn that the food was still there, but they too could no longer hop from the railing onto the feeder ledge ( it will not close with the light weight of the birds).   But now they simply fly to the food from the opposite sides bushes and trees, and take their food to those perches, actually keeping my deck cleaner.

This is the second time the squirrels were outsmarted.  The other one was done simply (with the knowledge and help of a neighbor) by putting up a plastic 2 1/2 " tube as a post, with a cross arm on which hooks were fastened to hang regular feeders, not squirrel proof ones. After all, the squirrels cannot climb the slick plastic tube/pole, it is slick and too wide to wrap its legs around it, and it stand far enough away from any trees or structure that the squirrel could use as a launch platform.

Of course, we do have food for the poor, deprived squirrels.  We bought a squirrel feeder for the corn. So they don't have to go without totally.

One thing I know, I wish I were as flexible as a squirrel.