by Vern Norbury
August 31, 2000
While predators, both birds and mammals, are a problem for those who feed birds there are other animals, which cause a different problem. These are the creatures, which raid our feeders for the various food items we provide.
Once when I was putting out popcorn on the ground for grouse a red fox began coming at night and eating everything left by the days foragers. I became aware of his raids when our sensor light came on one night and I got up to see what had caused it to do so.
He wasn't bothered by the light but was very sensitive to sounds. Even a tap on the window was enough to send him dashing away into the darkness. Finally he stopped coming. Whether he had found a better source of food or had suffered some mishap I don't know.
Another time I found the tray feeder just below the kitchen window was missing. On investigating I found the feeder on the ground with bear tracks around it. Fortunately this was a once only event.
One evening, just after nightfall, I noticed the feeders swinging wildly and on investigating found a neighbour's horse was sampling the black oil sunflower seeds. Perhaps he was comparing them to oats. A 'phone call took care of that raid.
Flying squirrels often came in the late evening to feed on popcorn and sunflower seeds. They are delightful creatures and we never chased them away. With their mobility there was really no way of stopping them short of killing them and that we would not resort to.
Which brings me to the most persistent and successful of our raiders: the red squirrel. Resourceful, tremendously acrobatic with superb climbing ability, they presented an endless challenge, much frustration, and a constant supply of humorous situations.
I must confess to being so frustrated by one squirrel's blatant ignoring of my efforts to keep the bird food for the birds that I threw a stone at him which resulted in no harm to the squirrel while the feeder required some emergency first aid.
One winter morning when I had put out some popcorn on the ground and had filled the tray feeder at the window with more popcorn, I watched the squirrel of the moment dashing about trying to procure as much of this supply of food for himself before the grouse or the jays could get it. Frantically he picked up piece after piece of popcorn and buried it in one or another of the snow banks around the yard.
Then he picked up another piece and came scampering across the snow and up into the feeder tray. There he proceeded to dig a hole in the popcorn in the tray and drop his own piece in. Then after using his paws to cover up his treasure and tamping it down with his nose he sat back with a smug expression as though to say, "No one will ever find it here."
Another time I had harvested some sunflower seed heads and wedged one in a tree at the fork of a branch and the trunk. Of course the squirrel found it almost immediately and was making off with it when I was able to retrieve it much to his annoyance.
I decided to stop him from adding the seed head to his store by hanging the head from the end of a small branch with a four-foot length of cord. He soon spotted it and scampered up the tree and along the branch. Then, hanging by his hind feet he hauled the seed head up hand over hand {or paw over paw} until he could grasp it in his mouth. He then went charging back up the branch with his trophy. This lasted only until he reached the end of the cord at which point he performed a wild bit of acrobatics, which resulted in him staying on the branch but without the seed head.
After a foot-stamping tantrum he went back down the branch and retrieved his prize but instead of taking off with it he tried to throw it down to the ground. When this failed he tried to do it again and again with occasional breaks for a frustrated bout of foot stamping and chirring.
The next day the evening grosbeaks found the seed head and soon emptied it. Having replaced it with a full one I dropped it on the path and soon after I saw the squirrel come along and carry it away in triumph.
A last incident. On a warm spring afternoon I saw a squirrel sitting on the edge of the tray feeder, which, at this time, was filled with sunflower seeds. The combination of a warm day and a bellyful of seeds were proving too much for him and he kept nodding off. His eyes would close and he would sway forward until he would recover and try for another seed.
I called my wife over and we stood watching and laughing at this spectacle of an usually alert animal overcome by sleep. Gradually his naps became longer and he swayed further over until finally his nose thumped the bottom of the tray.
This brought him wide-awake and he saw us laughing at him and flew into a great rage. Charging up onto the windowsill he glared in at us and subjected us to a long chirring tirade. Then he went stamping off; a bushy-tailed bundle of indignation.
So, although they have driven us to distraction with their destructive ways they have also provided us with some very memorable and amusing incidents. I guess we are about even.
We had one squirrel here at our new feeder site but there has been no sign of him for a month or more. Perhaps the larger number of cats and dogs here is the reason. Still I miss him and hope there is another reason for his absence.
Happy birding, Vern.
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Species |
Science |
Pictures |
Song |
Video |
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Evening Grosbeak |
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Grouse |
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Red fox |
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Red squirrel |
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Information in the above table was obtained from:
