Blue Century Home: The Last Straw

Hey, I hear there is a free all you can eat buffet out front. Wanna go?

I have been battling a losing battle against the squirrels over my bird feeder. Those chubby little piggies will eat an entire bird feeder full of seed in one day and not let the birds eat. I've been frustrated with them for awhile now, and Jim just laughed. Well, now it was time for Jim to take the squirrels seriously. I had him fill the bird feeder last week, and he saw first hand just how fast the squirrels devour it. He filled it in the morning and it was completely empty by late afternoon. The next day, I looked out the window by our deck and saw a bird perched on the plastic garbage can where we keep the feed. Something didn't seem quite right to me, so I went to investigate only to discover things were indeed amiss. The lid of the can was on the ground with 3 small chew holes in it. I looked in the can to find the feed bag chewed open as well. I put the lid back on and told Jim about it when he returned home from work. He patched up the holes in the lid, and thought sure he had resolved the issue. He thought that perhaps a chipmunk had done the deed. Well, I had to laugh the next day when we walked out on to the deck, and Jim saw a squirrel sticking its head out of the hole. When he approached, the squirrel squirmed out and took off up a tree. He looked at the can, and discovered that the squirrel not only chewed through the patch, but also made the hole bigger.

Jim decided he had had enough and we went out to buy a metal can. Chew through that, darn squirrels! He also finally agreed to let me buy a squirrel proof feeder. Yea!

This is me filling and giving the victory sign as I hang the new feeder.

So far, the feeder is working. I was laughing watching them from the kitchen window trying to get the seed. The weight of their bodies closes the feed ports, so they go around and around the feeder, but can't get any food. The birds finally have a chance to eat!