Feeding the Squirrels

Many people don't like squirrels, but I'm not one of those.  I know they raid bird feeders, but over  the years I've managed to get the kind of feeders they can't get into so all they feed on is the dropping of sunflowers underneath.  And they haven't been a problem for me in the garden either.  I have other critters that do the digging in the beds and pots.

I do feed the squirrels bread crusts and other starch leftovers.  They have come to expect it and sometimes will come to the back door on the deck to peer in to see where I am.  Now unlike suburban and city squirrels they don't come close to me.  Once I open the door they scamper away.  As soon as I'm back inside they will investigate what I have thrown out for them.

Yesterday it was a single pancake.  Somehow the pancake got divided and two squirrels had a meal.

Squirrel 1

Squirrel 2

Squirrel 1

Squirrel 2

We have a happy co-existence.

Linking to Saturday's Critters.

Wordless Wednesday - Snow Gone, Cold Here

Friday Favorite - Squirrels

You have to love them.  They provide us so much entertainment and now that they don't bother the birdfeeders it's only right that I give them their own feeder.

I have a wind chimes hanging from this corn feeder so I hear them when they jump onto it.

It hangs from this small beech tree and they like to jump from the stump on the left to the feeder.

They don't stay on the feeder for long so I couldn't catch this one quite in focus before it was on its way to bury the corn kernel somewhere in our yard.  I always wonder if they really find what they have buried months later.

Such expressive faces and poses makes them a Friday favorite at this time of year.

Squirrels

In December a friend mentioned that the oak trees this year have no acorns. I came home and looked under our oak tree out back and sure enough - no acorns.

We have had a lot of squirrels coming to our bird feeders and though they can't get to the feeders they have been eating what falls on the ground. I have been putting out cups of sunflower seeds on the stumps for them since learning about the lack of acorns.

Dan suggested we get a squirrel feeder so I ordered one from Duncraft. We put it up yesterday and today the squirrels have found it.



The feeder is loaded with corn cobs and eventually once they eat all of the ones on the top they will be swinging to get the one on the bottom.