Foiling Squirrels
First posted on 04-01-2011
I have a great time watching squirrels. Their behavior is so erratic it’s captivating. And, although they cost me quite a bit of money during the winter as they rob my bird feeders of sunflower seeds, I put up with it because they don’t stay too long and, as I said, they are fun to watch.
But I had to do something when one hungry rodent decided that the finch feeder hanging from a shepherd’s hook in my backyard was the perfect spot for an early spring picnic. I was sitting at the dining room table when I spied the furry-tailed creature posing on top of the hook. One second the finch feeder was hanging from the hook, the next second it was gone.
Apparently, the squirrel’s weight was more than the feeder’s handle could bear. The tab that cinched the handle to the body of the feeder was severed and could not be repaired. I bought a replacement, but was leary about leaving it up for grabs by animals the feeder was not designed to support.
From April through October last year, I had a hummingbird feeder hanging from that same shepherd’s hook. It worked well and I got to watch hummers feeding there all season. Squirrels are not so much attracted to hummingbird nectar, but ants are.
By summer, a steady stream of them climbed up and down the pole seeking concentrated sugar water. It was bad enough that I got my hands covered in ants anytime I cleaned and refilled the feeder, but the final straw was when I noticed the ground under me moving in a rhythmic frenzy from the thousands of ants awaiting their turn at the pole. It was like watching an army of orcs ready themselves for battle in a scene from Lord of the Rings.
The ant problem was solved when I coated the pole with a thin layer of petroleum jelly. I hate the feeling of anything oily or greasy on my hands, so I donned a pair of surgical gloves and slathered up the pole leading to the shepherd’s hook. It worked like a charm. No ants could climb through the sticky, slippery goop although a few tried only to become encased in jelly.
I slipped on a new pair of surgical gloves and applied a fresh coat of slime. Then I waited.
Eventually, the squirrel who thought himself so wise as to pull down a feeder so he could feast on its contents more easily, found a brand new problem in store. He grabbed the pole and slid down like a firefighter rushing to respond to an alarm. That confused the little guy and he cambered to the top of a nearby arbor to study this new dilemma.
He tried a second time only to discover there was no friction with which to make his way any further up the pole than the few inches he could leap. He slid down and, again, clambered to the top of the arbor. He sat there for a long time just gazing at the slippery beast. He made motion a few times that indicated he was considering a jump to the top of the hook, but the distance was daunting, even for a squirrel.
Finally, the little guy left the arbor and scurried down the fence toward a trumpet vine that probably had seeds he could eat with less effort and grease than the sunflower seeds.
I’m sure that squirrel is calculating his next attempt someplace. Probably thinks about it in the nest at night. He comes back to the yard twice each day, but hasn’t made another attempt yet. Right now, he feigns disinterest, but I’ve watched this squirrel long enough to know it is only a matter of time.
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Comments:
I know what you mean, Kelly. I’ve often been fooled by the commotion of a couple squirrels when I expected deer to pass by. I’ve had squirrels jump across my boots when I was sitting in a ground blind, and eat acorns above me, dropping the shells on my hat, when I’ve been in a tree stand. And the barking—they may as well jump up and down, pointing out my location.
Squirrels are a lot of fun to watch, but when I am deer hunting, they drive me crazy, I am constantly trying to figure out if it’s a squirrel or a deer I am hearing, and then when they “spot” you, they give up your location by barking up a storm! I’m sure those deer know what that means! Sometimes I get so frustrated from them when I am hunting that I fantasize about shooting them with a handgun with a silencer on them!
A possible solution, Chad, but then I’d miss those squirrel antics. I have a Cooper’s hawk that stops by on occasion, but it savors finches and smaller birds.
I just watched a rather large hawk land on a black squirrel and hold on for dear life. It didn’t take long for the squirrels demise. Maybe you could attract a hawk to the feeder and solve the issue permanently???