Thursday, January 22, 2015

Sneaky Snacky Squirrel

Are you familiar with this game:  Sneaky Snacky Squirrel?


All of my grandchildren really enjoy playing this game.  There's not much strategy involved, and just when you think you're about to win, one spin of the dial, and you find yourself with no acorns, victim of the Sneaky Snacky Squirrel.

Well.....guess what?   We seem to have our own live Sneaky Snacky Squirrel.  


That became all too obvious when I noticed that the feeders were emptying way too fast, and birdseed would be scattered in heaps on the deck railing.

It was quite a mess!  

And, let me just say that the local birds don't eat cheap seed.  At least not in our backyard.
So, in an attempt to save myself from having to refill bird feeders every other day, I decided to look online for some practical advice on how to keep squirrels from the bird feeders.

I realize that this is no easy feat.  This isn't the first run-in I've had with squirrels. Somehow those clever creatures (or should I say sneaky?) managed to win the game.  

I read through the list of suggestions, eliminating one after another, until I came across two interesting possibilities.  Both were inexpensive and would cause no harm to the squirrel or the environment.  

After a quick trip to the store, I set about filling the feeders while attempting to make them squirrel proof.  


Ok...... I never professed to an attractive solution.  That's actually a plastic slinky you see stretched over the pole.  I read that when the squirrel attempts to climb up the pole, the slinky keeps him from making traction. Sounds reasonable, don't you think?

I had hoped to find metal slinkies, but such was not the case.  


If this clever trick works, then I may consider looking a bit harder for metal replacements.  Purely aesthetic. 

The second interesting possibility involved peppermint candy canes.  The site suggested that popping candy canes onto the feeders acted as a repellant for squirrels.  



So, I picked up a package of small candy-canes on the after Christmas sale rack, unwrapped a few, and hung them here and there on the feeders.

And, realizing that squirrels need to eat something, I purchased a special product, that squirrels are supposed to find tasty, and mounted it on the corner of the deck, far from the feeders. 


And then, I waited to see what would happen.

I half expected to look outside and find the squirrel playing with the slinky and licking candy canes.  

When I came home today,  I spotted the grey creature on the railing, looking longingly at the feeders.


He took a quick look at the suet, then ran along the rail to the squirrel food on the corner.


He stopped only briefly to check it out before scurrying down the railing and out of sight.

So, do you suppose the candy canes did the trick?  Only time will tell.  

But, in the meantime, we have a new friend:



Now, that's a welcome sight!


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