• Thursday-What'sUP March 3 - 10:10 am

There are all kinds of squirrel-proof, bird feeders on the market and then some folks, like Bob Gilreath, just try to outsmart the critters, by hanging the bird feeder just out of reach. Oftentimes it's a losing battle, so if you can't beat 'em, you might as well join 'em and that's just what Bob did, grabbing his camera to capture this acrobatic squirrel in action. First the Copper Country critter grabs onto the post with his feet, swings himself out and grabs the bird feeder. From there on out, it's a piece of cake, helping himself to the bird seed dinner set before him...that is until his feet start slipping on the pole...down he goes. I'm betting that didn't deter him one bit, and he was back up there munching away in no time at all. After all, squirrels have to eat, too!

I bought a bunch of marked down Christmas nuts last week and had all the brazil nuts slightly cracked and put them out in the birdfeeder. What fun to watch the squirrels finish cracking them and eat them from my window view. The cats enjoyed watching too.

LOL....the antics of the wildlife we get to see, is just amazing...We are so blessed to be here...could you imagine waking up, looking out at concrete, smog and 8 lane highways? No thanks. Bless you folks that do it...someone's got to. But I love this rural stuff, these critters, and all that goes with it.

crafty and comical little rascals.

LOL! Sure would've loved to see a 5th pic....of what happened after the slippin' feet.:D

By Donna (Donna) on Thursday, March 3, 2011 - 08:14 am:
We are so blessed to be here...could you imagine waking up, looking out at concrete, smog and 8 lane highways?

Rub it in Donna, rub it in..... :-P

I believe the antics of squirrels are universal no natter where your at. We have two families that visit our feeders every morning for thier treats:

One thing wrong about feeding squirrels is that for me it is habit forming. At home I was feeding up to 30 each day--sunflower seeds and peanuts. Most would eat out of my hand or come into the kitchen to pick their own out of a 3lb coffee can. Neighbors didn't like that many squrrils around so I had to cut back. It was tough. Down here in central Florida the squrrels are slimmer but just as much fun. I have built squrrel and bird feefer outside my windows so my 2 cat have a show every day.

Nice photos, Bob G. Dickingrayling, be careful with the squirrels, because some bite. Many years ago, one lived down the street from us. He jumped up, & bit my Dad hard on his leg when he was walking on the sidewalk, on his way back towards our home. They can be very mean critters, even if most of them are cute.

I had a Racoon doing the same thing at my feeder except he let go with his back feet and got onto the bird feeder. Then when he got on the swinging feeder he found out he couldn't reach the wall of the house to get back off. (The feeder swings away as he reaches out.) This is like 2 A.M. I got the idea that he needed some persuasion, so I grabbed a broom and tried to push (NOT hit) him/her off the bird feeder. Well the broom got his/her attention, but not the way I had in mind. He/she saw the broom handle as the path off the feeder even if the other end was being held up by some idiot offering help to a stranded racoon. Well,luckily,by then I was awake enough to perceive the enemies plan of action before he put it in effect and retreated back in the house unscathed by what was going to be a nasty encounter under the bird feeder. By morning the next morning the racoon got down without my help.

As a kid we had a pet squirrel that lived in our house for 4 years. We got it as a tiny baby, fell out of its nest or was pushed out. My brother took his sheep skinned coat and put it up on a shelf in the back of the closet and that is where it stayed. In the evening when we would let the family dog out, the squirrel, Peanuts, was right behind him. When it was time for the dog to come in, Peanuts would run up and down the screen-door. Open the door and Rusty would come in with Peanuts running past him, through the living room and dining room down the hallway to the closet and jump into his bed. One time Peanuts got one of his nails pulled out from an accident, and my parents took him to the family vet and Peanuts was running around with a cast-bandage on his foot. The vet said he never worked on a squirrel before.

Oh Donna, you are cruel, cruel, cruel! But,
thankfully for those of us forced to leave our
Copper Country homes for the concrete jungles, we
have a bit of that beauty from home each day on our
little computer screens. Thanks, Pastycam.

How ironic: underneath this discussion about squirrels is an ad for Orkin Rodent Control. I enjoy watching them too, although some days I fear my dog Tucker will launch himself through the window after them. When I lived in Southern MI there were a few that would eat out of your hand, but then a very sick neighborhood boy killed them and hung up their bodies. I prefer now to enjoy them at a distance so they don't lose their healthy fear of humans. Some of us aren't so kind.

I have no fear of the dog catching a squirrel here because squirrels can do something this dog can't; make 90° turns at full speed!!!

Squirrels — such wily critters!
Have you ever seen this Squirrel version of "Mission Impossible"? (video 49 seconds) Click on the icon in the lower right corner of the video screen for a full size image.

Ah...but Cap't and ILMHitCC...don't forget the
"Bless you folks that do it" part! ^j^

Thanks, Bob, for great photos. Frnash, thanks for the video link; total hilarity!

Mickill: Cool story.

Nice story Mickill!

UC

Thanks.

The only time I did not like having the suirrel in the house was when he dug up my school- science project and ate it. My science project was a venus fly trap and it just broke the dirt and Peanuts ate it.