Howdy Everybody! It’s THURSDAY already….!
I’ve GOT to tell you about our so-called squirrel-proof bird feeders in the back yard. Just to the left of the big tree you see a dark green blob – well that’s one of our two squirrel-proof feeders. It sits atop a metal pole that’s about five feet tall with a hook on top. I think our squirrels have become smarter the longer we’ve had the feeders because at first, they were content to eat whatever the birds knocked out of the feeders when they visited to eat. Once ina while a squirrel would try to climb the pole but they couldn’t.
In the last couple of years though I swear our squirrels have been working out at the squirrel gym or something…..they’re bigger – stronger – more muscles in their arms and legs….maybe they’re into weightlifting at the squirrel gym? They’ve figured out all kinds of ways to get at the feeders. They leap over to the top of the feeder from that big tree (sometimes they miss and fly right over which makes me giggle but don’t tell them I said that) – or they briefly touch the top and slide off the slanted roof. They have learned HOW to climb the pole now – all legs wrapped around and they scooch up just like people do when they’re climbing a rope. It’s hilarious.
But the funniest thing is when the metal pole is wet – from rain or heavy dew. It’s too slippery to climb……but they try – and they get about a foot or two off the ground with their scooching technique then can’t go further so they slide slooooooooooooooooooowly down to the ground and try again ……… and again …………. and again ……….. and again ……… and – well you get the picture! And I bet you can see why Mom and I sit and watch them out the living room window and laugh (YES cats can laugh!!!!).
These are BIG squirrels – thanks to my Mom’s sunflower seeds and the squirrel gym they look FIT. Would I dare try to scare them off from the feeders? Heck no! Do I sit and watch and keep my mouth shut from INSIDE the house only and not outside? You betcha.
So much for squirrel-proof feeders………but it’s 100 times more interesting and fun to watch than ANYTHING on TV…… trust me!
Sammy the Squirrel Watcher
Isn’t it amazing how creative these guys are? I have never found any feeder that can truly keep out a hungry squirrel, although some do make them work a little harder! I loved the mental image of them shimmying up the wet pole and sliding back down…too funny! Have a great day, Sammy – watching squirrels or whatever you end up doing!
Hugs, Linda
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Hi Miss Linda! Mom and I loved the picture of the giraffe on your blog yesterday….they’re so BIIIIIIIIIIIIG! I really did have fun watching the squirrels yesterday – – – at one point there were FIFTEEN (yes I said FIFTEEN!) of them out there rummaging around on the ground, up and down the tree, on top of the bird bath and of course making a dive at the feeder. Who needs TV when you have squirrels?!?!?!
Kitty Hugs
Sammy
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Squirrels are fun to watch, aren’t they, Sammy? We have all sorts of things to entertain us from our window perches!
Have a good day watching the squirrels.
Love, Sundae
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Hi Sundae…yep – you’re right – there’s always something moving around out there we can keep an eye on. Part of our “guard duty” thing but also GREAT entertainment!!
Love, Sammy
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PS, There’s something for you over on my Mom’s blog today!
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WOWZERS! Yep – we saw your Mom’s list and that you guys got another award and passed it on to us – we’re so excited! Of course now we have to figure out what to SAY but Mom says we’ll do it – we make a good writing team so I’m sure we’ll get our lists done sometime in the next
yearday or two!!Kitty Hugs and love,
Sammy (and his Mom)
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Sam we found out how entertaining those green squirrel-proof bird feeders can be. They are better than TV and you never have to change the channel or watch commercials. We have a teeny baby squirrel that we are taking care of right now and he is literally sucking up all our time. 😀 He is building up his little squirrley muscles as I type. If you were closer we would bring him to your backyard so he could have some other squirrel buddies. I can just see you and your Mom watching squirrel TV and laughing!
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Oh we read about your baby squirrel orphan this morning! He’s so CUTE! You guys are so kind to take care of him since his Mommy isn’t around. We’re anxious to know when you get some return phone calls from the folks who take care of little babies like that – the longer you have that little guy the more attached you will get to him and he to you. Which isn’t alltogether bad (wink wink).
Kitty Hugs for you AND the little squeaker!
Sammy
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It is going to be hard to keep him from imprinting but he is just too teeny to throw outside. The feral cats will take care of him. I simply can’t do it. Conservation Center said to put him in the woods and let nature take its course. The are probably right.
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I’m sure the Conservation Center is probably right too but I’m not sure “right” is always “comfortable” for us to do. He looks really small so we all know what course nature would take if she has her way…..Does your vet know a rehabber somewhere near that might take the little guy? I’m sure you’ve tried everything you can think of. Tough isn’t it?!
Pam
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Our vet thinks along the same line as Mo Conservation. I gots pictures 😀 I just didn’t want to overload everyone. I will update. Darling picture of him sucking his milk replacer from and eyedropper, he sounds like a squirrely pig!
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LOL…..a little oinker huh? I bet he’s a little charmer – they are just so cute. The only babies I’ve seen before really are ones who met an unfortunate end out in the woods in some way. It just warms my heart to hear about a little survivor – thanks to you guys!
Pam
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I hear you about watching the squirrels is better than anything on television, Sammy. I can picture how the squirrels look as the try to climb that wet pole. But even so, if they get hungry enough they will probably figure how out to climb the pole, wet or not. Hunger produces ingenuous ways to find a way to eat.
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Yep – you’re right Uncle Jerry….besides, if they keep climbing up and slipping back down eventually their fur dries off the pole and they WILL make it up to the top! They’re so darn smart……sometimes!
Sammy
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Haha! That was really funny. Have to share it on twitter…
Great blog. Love it!!
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Hi!! Glad you liked my little squirrel tale (tail?). We have some mighty hefty squirrels around here thanks to Mom’s sunflower seeds. Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog today – there’s always something going on around here that I just HAVE to tell my friends about.
Sammy
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I’ve heard of Bird TV, but never Squirrel TV! I hope you get to see lots of episodes. And I hope it gets picked up for another season. ; )
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I hope Squirrel TV continues too and I think it will – at least as long as Mom dumps pounds and pounds of sunflower seeds in our bird feeders!! Heck, if it’s not picked up for another season, I think I’ll produce it myself! 😉
Sammy
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Hi, Sammy. I’ve heard that you can mix cayenne pepper in bird seed to keep squirrels from eating it. Apparently birds don’t have saliva, but squirrels do. Saliva is what makes cayenne pepper irritating, But it sounds like you and Mom are enjoying the squirrels.
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Yeah they’re a lot of fun to watch that’s for sure…….I hope they don’t get so HUGE they attack the house! HAHAHAHAHA Seriously though, we’ve used that special “no squirrel” birdfood before and just can’t stand watching them run away from that pepper (!) – we also have deer who like the sunflower seeds so I guess we’re destined to keep on watching the fun out there instead of deal with it like we probably should!!
Sammy and his Mom
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We don’t have any squirrel-proof bird feeders but… we kind of have a squirrel-proof yard. Did I mention that I live with eleven other cats?
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I’d say that’s VERY squirrel-proof with that many kitties around! Wow…as an “only-cat” I can only imagine what that would be like to have that many playmates. But it would definitely make for a squirrel-proof yard with that many of you roaming around – even these big muscle-bound squirrels we have HERE wouldn’t tackle twelve cats!
Kitty Hugs
Sammy
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Hahahaa!!! I bet it’s way better than anything on TV…course that doesn’t take much but the “show” outside your window does sound extra hilarious!
~d.
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Hi Miss D…..they really are a whole lot of fun to watch. This morning there were about ten of them out there chasing each other around – climbing up into trees and hanging by their toes – they’re just FUN to watch.
Kitty Hugs
Sammy
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Squirrels are a crafty bunch! Which is why they make for such good TV.
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Indeed….these guys are really smart – so many ways to tackle a problem and they can figure out more “answers” than most people! 😉
Kitty Hugs
Sammy
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Sammy you didn’t know, but my Mom just LOVES SQUIRRELS!! OMG she loves them almost as much as she loves cats!!!
We laughed about your “Squirrel Gym”…too funny!
My mom said maybe they are into pole dancing??
MOL!
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HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! Pole-dancing squirrels – hey, know what? Maybe that’s what they were practicing. Tell your Mommy she’s too funny!! My Mom loves squirrels too – a whole lot. In the house she and Dad lived in before this one, they had a squirrel who’d come up to their sliding patio door and peek in and knock asking for food. LOL She’d hand him a peanut and he was one happy camper….
Kitty Hugs
Sammy
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Video please! Squirrels have proved very good at getting my cats racing across the garden. Not Cat may just get one.
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I think I enjoy watching these guys as much as Sam does….they’re like having the squirrel version of the Ringling Brothers Circus right in our back yard! Wish I could capture it all on video – alas no can do.
Pam
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