Monday 8 February 2010

Unwelcome Visitor!

During the past two days a Grey Squirrel has made a return visit to the garden after an absence of about three years when a previous neighbour used to feed them and they caused havoc everywhere they went.
Anyone watching?
Ah...I'm sur I can reach this one.
Squirrels will constantly vandalise any unprotected bird feeder and when I checked late this afternoon the ports on this feeder has been well chewed so that it could access the seed. (Mental note made: I will probably have to make a cage for this feeder otherwise it could be destroyed after another visit!)  
He even cleaned up any scraps from the seed tray!
As soon as I got too close he decided it was time to escape over the fence but I suspect that it will return now it has located an alternate source of food.

Garden Bird Update: Blackcaps still visiting plus Lesser Redpoll, Wren and Coal Tit were seen yesterday and a Song Thrush today but no pictures as it was sleeting!  FAB

24 comments:

  1. Hi Frank! I could be looking in my backyard! These fellows do like to much on plastic. In our yard, even worse are the raccoons. They can destroy a feeder in no time flat. Good luck dealing with this guy!

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  2. Ha! Ha! Cute post Frank. Yes. He will probably be back and bring his friends with him.. but I hope not for your sake.

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  3. Ohhh! Very cute! But I am sure I wouldn't want that kind of mischief and mayhem in my garden. btw that's one creature we don't have out here in Australia.

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  4. Great pictures Frank. I am pleased that the one which used to visit my feeders seems to have disappeared. As well as the damage to feeders there are several trees in the village showing where the squirrels have stripped the bark from branches. Cute to watch but definitely a pest.

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  5. Yes the squirrels create havoc, but I have to admire the persistence and hard work to get a free meal. Someone once asked me how she could keep squirrels out of her feeders - I told her she couldn't, they were smarter than she was.

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  6. I'd rather have Squirrels then cats. I'm surrounded by neighbour's cats, and they've got a taste for bird :-(

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  7. They can cause havoc but fab critters to watch, i remember at christmas time i had some monkey nuts in the shell left so i threaded them on to some string and hung them out for the birds only to see 5 minutes later the squirrel running off with monkey nuts trailing behind him, it was a very funny sight to see.
    Great pictures BTW.

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  8. What a fantastic visitor to have on your feeders,excellent photography.
    John.

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  9. Hi Frank - I know what you mean, they are a bit of a nuisance! I've taken to throwing a load of nuts on the ground twice a day in the hope that they'll eat those & not bother with the feeders, its kind of working so far!

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  10. We have the same problem with squirrels in our backyard. I had to finally put up a "Wild Birds Unlimited" black pole feeding station with a squirrel baffle on it which they can't circumvent. They are so pesky and destructive. They didn't used to be native to this area, but someone apparently brought some in here thinking they were cute. Alas . . .

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  11. Lovely photos Frank.
    I don't get them in my garden, but maybe with the way they chew feeders,that may be a blessing.
    I do get a badger though, butt they annoy the neighbour with the way it causes divots in the lawns & makes holes for access between the boundaries. This doesn't worry me, in fact, feel quite lucky to get any wildlife in the garden.
    Take care

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  12. These can be persistant little devils Frank, luckly I have only ever had one on my feeders and being metal he gave up pretty quick. I was talking to my Brother in Law at Swanpool last Friday and he cured one. He had a long piece of string and hung his feeder off a branch, the squirrel sat on the branch and pulled the feeder up by the string and opened it.So he then fixed a short piece of wire from the branch, then the string, and then he tied a heavy bolt hanging from the bottom of the feeder so its to heavy for the squirrel to pull up.

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  13. Lovely shots. TIP: Get a Squirrel feeder! They are adorable and if you get them their own feeding box they will leave the bird feed alone. Nice post.

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  14. We don't have a garden Frank but still have had a Grey once recently on our feeders hanging off the sheds (never seen since).
    The other year we had to take a fat ball in as a Brown Rat was hanging down off the guttering bracket to eat it.

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  15. Hi Kelly. I don't think he has returned. Maybe the 'stern' look was enough to put him off..I should be so lucky!

    Hi Ginny. Friends? It will be war if more turn up.

    Hi mick. Lucky you.

    Hi John. Cute...never!

    Hi Chris P. You could be right.

    Hi Andy. We also have a few Cats and Foxes that visit!!

    Hi Shaz. What a coincidence, that's exactly what the previous neighbours used to feed them.

    Hi JRandSue. OK for the camera BUT not the feeder!

    Hi Sharon. Good option..always worth trying.

    Hi Mona. Just amazing the lengths we will go to protect the bird feeders.

    Hi Warren. ONE is one too many!

    Hi Shirleyanne. Yes, I've heard many stories regarding Badger damage to lawns...not an easy one to prevent.

    Hi Monty. Good to hear someone is beating them at their own game.

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  16. Hi Angie. Thanks for the tip BUT at the moment we don't want to encourage them.

    Hi Mike. We do have a resident Garden Mouse that has been know to nibble from the fat ball feeder.

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  17. Our squiggle has the birdhouse to himself for a certain amount of time before the blue tits start pulling his tail and he scurries off home! :) I must get some video of that.

    Fortunately we have enough room and feeders to cater for everyone one so squabbles and vandalism are rare (the Jackdaws are the biggest offenders in my garden but I have a huge soft spot for Corvids so they get away with it).

    Our Mr Badger also has aspirations as a landscape gardener but we figure he was here before us, so the thrill of actually having a badger in the garden outweighs the need to flatten down a few holes in the lawn :).

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  18. Oh, I know about these little critters, very well. I raised over 60 and released them over course of 8 years on my two acres. Oh my, what WAS I thinking... Things have calmed down past few years, yet we have tons of them. You got some really cute pics of these clever ones~

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  19. Hi Gaina. I like the idea of Blue Tits pecking the squiggle's tail..Lol. A video would be worth publishing.
    I can understand the attraction of the Badger but I'll just have to go with Foxes at the moment.

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  20. Hi Mary. If we had a 2 acres I wouldn't mind a few extra interlopers but the garden is fairly small so the birds get priority.

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  21. ohhh; I would love to have a little squirrel like him in my garden.....!!! The first and last Imagine are so beautiful and so funny.....INCREDIBLY sweet!!!!!

    We have got the tiny brown squirrels in our woods....they wouldn't come close to the house...probably they are a little scared of the kittens....!

    ciao ciao elvira

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  22. Squirrels have discovered they are not welcome at my feeders. They can destroy anything - I think. My mother-in-law has enough for both of us.

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  23. Hi Elvira. He may look 'sweet' but that is not his nature!!

    Hi Bill. I agree..the ultimate destructive force.

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