SUPER SQUIRREL

Discussion in 'Wildlife Corner' started by shiney, Jul 14, 2006.

  1. shiney

    shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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    We have a candelabra bird feeder in our garden. This is a metal pole, on legs, that is 6 foot high with a cross bar. We have feeders that hang from the cross bar and also one large feeder ââ?¬â?? 3 foot high - that fits on top of the cross bar. At a height of 4 foot, on the pole, we have a squirrel guard that the squirrels canââ?¬â?¢t get past.

    The feeder has to be positioned far enough away from other structures so that the squirrels can�t jump on to it and I move the feeder every few days so that I can clear the seed husks from underneath it. The squirrels seem quite happy to pick up any seeds dropped by the other birds and share this duty with blackbirds and pheasants.

    This morning we saw a squirrel jump from the back of a chair, that was 10 feet from the feeder, to the top of the 9 foot high feeder. Do you think we could enter him in the Olympics?

    When I went outside to chase him away I found evidence that he must have been on the feeder earlier this morning. The feeder that holds peanuts is the typical tubular wire cage with a metal top and bottom. At the bottom is a crossbar that goes through the wire and it holds the bottom in place. When I examined the feeder the squirrel had bent most of the wires away from the crossbar. If he had time to bend two more he would have been able to pull the crossbar out and the bottom would have fallen out of the feeder. No other wires had been touched.

    Not only the Olympics ââ?¬â?? how about entering him for Brain of Britain?
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    shiney
     
  2. wildflower

    wildflower Gardener

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    The squirells keep me amused for hours also..One day i broke a coconut and one half was quite large so two of them carried it away between them using one hand each..wish i had a video camera that day..as it was so funny to see them carrying a coconut up a six foot fence..They eat all my hazelnuts and strip the pear tree bare every year ..i managed to get a photo of one recently pinching the fat balls ..here it is..
    [​IMG]
     
  3. Liz

    Liz Gardener

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    Great photo WF, they are clever and comical little creatures. Some years ago we had a walnut tree which the squirrels loved, and my neighbour used to shoot at them with an air rifle. I don' t think he ever hit any, but the squirrels retaliated by bombarding him with walnuts!
     
  4. shiney

    shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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    Loved the photo, wildflower. Maybe your squirrel wants ot meet mine!!
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    shiney
     
  5. wildflower

    wildflower Gardener

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    we have loads of squirells..they are real scavengers ..I have stopped buying peanuts as they dig holes everywhere and bury them..wish they would just carry them away to their nest..and i dont buy flower bulbs either as they dig them up..It would be lovely to just have one nut off my hazelnut tree..and what makes me cross is they will harvest it early september before the nuts are even properly ripe..throw all the outer shell bits on the lawn for us to clear up..and away they go..apart from that i love them to bits..
     
  6. GREENWIZARD

    GREENWIZARD Gardener

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    i have one that visit & he's rather partial to the odd bulb :rolleyes:
     
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