This Red Squirrel is peeking in the porch window, wondering if that bag of sunflower seed will get him through the winter. We have three species of squirrels at our ranch: Fox Squirrels, Flying Squirrels and Red Squirrels. Yes, they all love the bird feeders but the little Reds seem to be the most persistently destructive.
The main feeders have baffles on them, but the most effective squirrel proofing I have found is a 4x4 plastic cover for the timber posts our big feeders sit upon. Seems the little devils can't climb those at all! Ha ha ha... it took me years to come up with that system!
The nearby fields are filled with corn for the taking and our woodlot is heavy with beech, walnut and hickory nuts. No wonder they think this is the Garden of Eden. But this little guy is checking on his back-up plan, just in case it is a hard winter. He knows I am a softy after all...
I only have red squirrels. I heard they were called pineys. They chased the gray squirrels away. They haven't affected the resident chipmunk's audacity though. The chippy gets right into the hopper feeder and munches away (even the safflower seeds which do seem to deter the squirrels' raiding of that particular feeder).
ReplyDeleteFunny how they have an abundant supply of food and yet they seem to check out another supply. They probably are twice as smart as we think they are.
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